NEC Opera and NEC Philharmonia recently presented Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti. The production was conducted by Robert Tweten, directed and staged by Steven Goldstein, and featured music preparation by Timothy Steele.
An “opera buffa,” or comic opera, NEC’s production brought much laughter and joy to the audiences during the performances featuring two casts: Jaeeun Shin and YeonJae Cho as Norina, Luis Anthony León and Philippe L’Esperance as Ernesto, Andrew Stack and Yihe Wang as Malatesta, Libang Wang and Jawoon Koo as the Notary, and Wanchun Liang as Don Pasquale.
The opera portrays the story of a wealthy aged bachelor (Don Pasquale) who decides to remarry instead of leaving his inheritance to his nephew (Ernesto).
This brings much disappointment to the family, forcing Ernesto and his lover (Norina) to devise a plan and trick his uncle so that the inheritance ends up with him. Along the way we meet Malatesta, Don Pasquale’s confidant.
Don Pasquale was the first staged opera in Jordan Hall since Mozart’s Idomeneo in February 2020. We are thrilled to be able to share the artistry of music with our community and audiences, and look forward to presenting many more productions.