New Production! “Foolish indeed is he who marries in old age.” Thus ends Don Pasquale: with a wise dictum not lacking in irony that sums up the disappointments of its hero (Italian bass Michele Pertusi), a rich bachelor keen to marry, who is deceived by his nephew Ernesto (award-winning American bel-canto Lawrence Brownlee, 2017 “Male Singer of the Year”, International Opera Awards) and his young bride-to-be Norina (rising soprano Nadine Sierra, the Metropolitan Opera's 2018 Beverly Sills Artist Award recipient).

"I may well be mature of age, but I’m still well preserved, and as far as strength and sprightliness go, I’ve enough, and some to spare." - Don Pasquale, Act 1, Scene 3

First performed in Paris in 1843, at the turning point of several eras, Donizetti’s composite and varied work is the apotheosis of opera buffa. For this new production, the Paris Opera has entrusted award-winning Italian director Damiano Michieletto who'll transport audiences directly to the sincerity and dramatic splendour at the heart of an apparently light-hearted work.