Whoever does not yet know Gaetano Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” will learn to love it with this elegant and stylish production by Stefano Vizioli. Lovers of this opera will be enthralled by Eva Mei’s high, clear voice as well as Alessandro Corbelli’s and her touching performances. Gérard Korsten conducts the orchestra of the Teatro Lirico and proves that Donizetti’s spritely music gives room for fascinating interpretations. The opera tells the story of an elderly dandy, who is thoroughly cured from his desire to get married and thus hands over his young lady to her actual lover – a tale as old as comedy itself. Donizetti however, being the master of cryptic comedy, extends this traditional “buffa” subject matter to a character comedy. His characters are not merely archetypes; they develop their individual profile throughout the differentiated and diversified plot. This work shines with musical wit, expressed in numerous coloraturas, cavatinas and duets.