He's a miserly old man with lecherous eyes. She's a clever young minx with plans to make his life a living hell. Add to the mix a cheerfully manipulative doctor, a love struck suitor and more double crosses than the latest James Bond movie. No, it's not a nighttime soap opera on Fox. It's the newest offering from the Baltimore Opera Company, Gaetano Donizetti's Don Pasquale, which opened at the Lyric Opera House on Nov. 15.
On the heels of his betrothal to Dr. Malatesta's sister, Don Pasquale summons his nephew and heir, Ernesto. He tells Ernesto of his upcoming nuptials and not-so-subtly suggests that Ernesto follow his example. Madly in love with the socially undistinguished Norina, Ernesto refuses, even when his uncle threatens to disinherit him. He leaves despondently and writes to Norina of his sudden misfortune.
As she reads the letter, Malatesta arrives and proclaims that he's found a way to unite the couple in spite of Don Pasquale's objections. He will pass Norina off as his sister Sofronia, a nun. Upon a phony marriage performed by Malatesta's notary cousin, Norina-Sofronia will make an effort to do everything in her power to make her new husband miserable. What ensues is an amusingly riotous whirlwind of flirtations, backhanded compliments and obscene expenditures that leaves Don Pasquale furious, Dr. Malatesta satisfied, and Ernesto and Norina eager for their eventual reunion.
As the titular character, Simone Alaimo cast a suitably extravagant figure with his booming bass voice and impressive physicality. His first appearance on stage was decidedly uninspired, particularly in comparison to the charismatic Armando Ariostini as Dr. Malatesta. However, Alaimo quickly gained his footing and effectively conveyed the wildly fluctuating moods of his character through carefully nuanced shifts in the nature of his movements and the tone of his voice.
Ariostini made a delightful foil as the well-meaning schemer Malatesta. He acted and moved with an energy and sense of humor that was charmingly infectious. Vocally, he did a fine job in using his baritone voice to register his character's pleasured amusement with the situation.
Soprano Cristina Barbieri was equally appealing as the clever and spirited Norina. Although her range felt limited at times, she ably carried off her character's solos with grace and wit, imbuing them with tonal fluidity and warmth. Her acting was also impressive, evident in the ease with which she moved between the feistiness of Norina and the meekness of Sofronia.
As Norina's lover Ernesto, tenor Harold Gray Meers was the weak link in the cast. His voice seemed flat and one-dimensional in comparison to the thunderous tones of Alaimo, the subtle shadings of Ariostini and the sparkling clarity of Barbieri. Nonetheless, he gave an adequate performance and cut a dashingly romantic figure in his historical garb. Baritone Brendan Cooke nicely rounded off the cast as Malatesta's notary cousin.
Under the skillful hand of conductor Claudio Desderi, the orchestra did justice both to the cast and Donizetti's score. They provided able accompaniment to the singers' vocal histrionics of without sacrificing the delicate textures that make the music of Don Pasquale so elegantly layered.
Compliments to stage director Stefano Vizioli, set designer Susanna Rossi-Jost, costume designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno and lighting director Jason Robinson for providing lively visuals, enhancing the whimsical mood of the music and performances.
Vizioli cunningly used the wide but shallow space of the stage by combining a definitive sense of music and action with smartly choreographed movements. Likewise, Rossi-Jost's sets were charmingly compact and efficiently mobile. Colorful costumes by Guidi di Bagno and smart shifts in lighting by Robinson nicely accented the overall effect.
"Don Pasquale" runs at the Lyric Opera House through Nov. 23. Tickets are $23 to $66 with student ID.
