Brought to you by Opera Ireland in association with RTE Lyric fm and The Sunday Times, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale will broadcast live from The New York Metropolitan Opera on 13 November to 18 cinemas around Ireland, including IMC Cinema, Athlone.
Music director James Levine conducts Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, in this third opera of the 2010-11 season. The stunning Russian soprano Anna Netrebko returns to the role that made her a sensational Met star in this sparkling and high-energy production of gorgeously melodic comic opera. She is joined by Matthew Polenzani, Mariusz Kwiecien, and John Del Carlo in the title role of the rich, lecherous old miser who is taught a lesson in life and love.
The old bachelor Don Pasquale plans to marry in order to punish his rebellious nephew, Ernesto, so he can cut the young man off without a penny. Dr Malatesta suggests as a bride his own beautiful younger sister and the delighted Pasquale tells him to arrange a meeting at once. However Malatesta, a friend of Ernesto, is in fact plotting on his behalf. He asks Norina to impersonate the (non-existent ) bride and drive Pasquale to such desperation that he will be at their mercy.
The incredible immediacy of the Met’s series of live transmissions into cinemas, with everything from backstage interviews to curtain calls, has changed the way people around the world experience opera. It’s the New York experience without airport security, baggage fees, and jet lag!
