Don Pasquale

Comic opera by Gaetano Donizetti

Libretto by Giovanni Ruffini
Premiere at the Estonian National Opera on September 25, 2020

Performed in Italian, subtitles in Estonian and English

Don Pasquale, a wealthy old bachelor, is outraged when he hears his nephew Ernesto intends to marry the impoverished widow Norina. He determines to marry himself and disinherit Ernesto. Ernesto and Norina despair, but their friend Doctor Malatesta comes to aid in order to teach Pasquale a lesson. They plot an intricate plan: Malatesta persuades Norina to disguise herself as his sister, then presents her to Don Pasquale as a humble and obedient bride to be. Pasquale is delighted! They are immediately married by a fake notary, after which she turns into a she-devil making Don Pasquale bitterly regret his decision … How it all ends is a mystery even to the characters themselves!