Don Pasquale, the Opera That Never Fails

© David Ruano

It is difficult to achieve great success when singing or conducting Don Pasquale, but it is also difficult to fail. Don Pasquale, the last capolavoro of opera buffa, is a comfortable and friendly work which does not present major problems. Vocal requirements are important though perfectly acceptable for professional singers and the same goes for the orchestral part. The work is not one of those mythical titles in the repertoire that make or break a career.

There are devotees of Parsifal, Rosenkavalier, Otello, Fidelio. There are even devotees of Il barbiere di Siviglia, but it would be very difficult to find anyone who would claim that his reference opera is Don Pasquale. For decades, the Donizetian title has been in the repertoire of the theaters, but in a quiet aurea mediocritas.

When sung pretty well, Don Pasquale never fails and if, as in this case, it is sung magnificently, then it achieves even remarkable success.

Liceu decided to open the season with Don Pasquale and opted for a cast composed mainly of Spanish singers. The main role was sung by Carlos Chausson, a singer much loved by the public. Chausson, born in Zaragoza, debuted at Liceu in the 84/85 season; he is now 72 years old, the age of the character he performs, which he still does wonderfully, without signs of vocal decline. Scenically he perfectly controlled this character that he has been playing for many years. Being able to enjoy, once again, a great performance by Carlos Chausson was a thing of happiness.

The rest of the cast was very young and in some cases debuting. The Catalan soprano Sara Blanch surprised by the mastery, poise and maturity of her interpretation in the role of Norina. The voice is light, nimble, without any problems with the coloraturas, a little bit thin in the middle, but well-toned in the upper register. With perfect stylistic suitability and impressive scenically, Sara Blanch is ready to receive a major commission from the theater that catapults his career.

The young Basque tenor Xabier Anduaga, who plays the role of Ernesto, has an important and beautiful voice, with many possibilities. It has bright, well-toned and confident highs. But the singing at some point, especially at the beginning, was excessively stentorian and not delicate, phrased or appropriate enough for the score.

The young Polish baritone Andrzej Filończyk delivered well, with certainty and without problems with the role of Doctor Malatesta, although he could have done more with it.

The musical direction was given to Josep Pons, the titular conductor of the theatre. Donizetti's light operas are not the specialty of Pons, who usually reserves to himself titles with higher density and more orchestral commitment, but the conductor is a professional of very large capabilities and solved satisfactorily this Don Pasquale. The opening sounded very well, the singing accompaniment at some point had too much sound presence, but overall the orchestral performance was quite good.

Stage-wise, the Don Pasquale that was seen at Liceu is the result of a co-production between the Opéra de Paris, the Royal Opera House and the Teatro Massimo di Palermo with stage direction by Damiano Michieletto. The scenography, with a 'light' approach, without walls or ceiling and which reduces the house of Don Pasquale to some essential lines which remind us of the Dogville of Lars von Trier, works well enough and places the work in the present day. The Venetian director respects the play's libretto both in its literalness and in its original dramatic intentions but adds some compassion and pity for the mocked character of the poor old man, bringing a tender remembrance of his childhood next to his mother and freezing the viewer's final smile when, dispossessed of his goods and his house, Don Pasquale is sent in a wheelchair to a care home for the elderly.

Xavier Pujol
Barcelona, 27th September 2022

Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti. Carlos Chausson, bass-baritone, Andrzej Filończyk, baritone. Xabier Anduaga, tenor. Sara Blanch, soprano. Orchestra and Choir of Gran Teatre del Liceu. Conductor, Josep Pons. Stage director, Damiano Michieletto. Restaging, Dan Dooner. Scenography, Paolo Fantin. Costumes, Agostino Cavalca. Lighting, Alessandro Carletti. Coproduction by Opéra de Paris, Royal Opera House, Teatro Massimo di Palermo. Gran Teatre del Liceu.