![]() ![]() Ernesto escapes, and Sofronia insists to her enraged husband that no one else has been with her. Suddenly, Pasquale and Malatesta jump out of the bushes. That evening, in the garden, a diguised Ernesto plays the role of Sofronia's lover and sings her a serenade. The two plan to spy on Sofronia's secret assignation and catch her in the act. Malatesta arrives to find Pasquale looking down and out. Malatesta, not realizing that the good doctor has been in on the scheme all along. Pasquale picks it up and reads it in shock - it's a letter arranging a tryst with her lover for that very evening. But on her way she drops a note on the floor - seemingly by accident. When Pasquale protests, she slaps him and storms out. She says she's going to the theater with Ernesto and suggests that it's past Pasquale's bedtime. Shrilly, she insists on a private carriage, more servants and a top-to-bottom renovation of the house - and she demands that Ernesto be kept on as her personal escort.Īs ACT THREE begins, Don Pasquale is wallowing in bills for extravagances ordered by his new wife. Ernesto agrees to witness the contract, and all the parties affix their signatures.īefore the ink is dry, "Sofronia" undergoes a spectacular transformation - changing from a blushing girl to a demanding shrew. Ernesto is startled when he recognizes the disguised Norina, but Malatesta explains the secret without tipping off Pasquale. The proceedings are interrupted when Ernesto returns to have one last go at changing his uncle's mind. Malatesta dictates the marriage contract, which makes Pasquale's new bride the mistress of his house and co-owner of all his posessions. A notary shows up - actually Malatesta's cousin, also in disguise. She's wearing a veil and seems modest and innocent, much to Pasquale's delight. When Ernesto leaves, Malatesta shows up with the disguised Norina, presenting her to Pasquale as Sofronia. He can't afford to marry Norina without his uncle's money and thinks he has no choice but to leave the country. Meanwhile, Malatesta visits Norina, and the two discuss the plot they're about to hatch on the unsuspecting Pasquale.Īt the start of ACT TWO, back in Pasquale's house, Ernesto is in a quandary. Pasquale orders Ernesto to move out of the house immediately. When Ernesto gets wind of this, he laughs in Pasquale's face. Pasquale agrees and begins making arrangements. Malatesta proposes that Pasquale marry a lovely, convent-educated woman named Sofronia - who is supposedly Malatesta's own sister. Malatesta pretends to sympathize, but he actually thinks Pasquale is a fool and resolves to teach the old geezer a lesson. Pasquale decides he should get married himself, and father a more suitable heir than Ernesto, but at his age he's not sure he's up to the challenge. When Ernesto balks at this, Pasquale is furious and threatens to disinherit him. ![]() ![]() Pasquale wants Ernesto to marry an old, rich woman instead. Ernesto is in love with Norina, who is young and beautiful - but poor. He's a rich old bachelor and has just had a quarrel with Ernesto, his nephew and heir. NotaryĪCT ONE begins in Don Pasquale's home. He composed until the bitter end, when his health finally failed him, reaching a total of more than 60 operas, ranging from stark tragedy to brilliant comedy. But unlike Verdi and Rossini, Donizetti kept right on going. He was also a spectacular success there was a time during his career when one of every four operas performed in Italy was his, and his fortune was clearly made. Then he settled into a comfortable retirement and lived nearly 40 more years without ever writing another one.ĭonizetti was another story. Rossini finished William Tell, his 39th opera, in 1829. Verdi wound up with a catalog of about 28 operas, give or take a revision or two. All three had so many hits, so quickly, that they might well have decided on early retirement and two of them took that option.įaced with changing musical tastes, nearly universal admiration and a fat bank account, Verdi first slowed his pace a bit, and then took about a decade off before a brief comeback in his 70s that resulted in Otello and Falstaff, two of his greatest works. John Del Carlo (left) sings the title role in Houston Grand Opera's Don Pasquale, with Norman Rheinhardt (right) as Ernesto and Jon Kolbet as the Notary.Ĭonsider three of history's most wildly successful opera composers: Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti and Giuseppe Verdi. ![]()
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