'Don Pasquale' back in the saddle

Utah Opera closes out the season with Gaetano Donizetti's delightful comic opera "Don Pasquale" starting May 16 and running through May 24.

One of his last works and his final comedy, "Don Pasquale" is one of Donizetti's undisputed masterpieces.

"The score is full of joy and effervescence," said Susanne Sheston, Utah Opera's chorus master and this production's conductor. "It's brilliantly written, with the humor in the libretto also in the music. It's just a delight to work on."

Sheston, together with stage director Rob Herriot and singers Celena Shafer and Steven Condy, recently met with the Deseret News in the Utah Opera Production Studios to discuss "Don Pasquale."

What makes the opera so captivating isn't just because of the music, although it's one of Donizetti's most sparkling and mellifluous works. It's also because of its clever and witty libretto.

The wealthy bachelor Don Pasquale decides it's time to find a wife and get married — not out of love, but solely to produce an heir and disinherit his nephew Ernesto, who has angered his uncle by falling in love with and wanting to marry the young widow Norina.

Dr. Malatesta, an old friend of the family, suggests that Pasquale marry his sister. When Ernesto finds out, he is devastated, particularly so since it's Malatesta's idea.

However, Malatesta isn't all bad. He's in fact on the side of the young lovers, and he cooks up a scheme to get the better of Pasquale — Norina is to impersonate Malatesta's sister, "Sofronia," and marry Pasquale in a sham wedding ceremony. After the couple is "married," Sofronia immediately goes to work to make Pasquale's life so miserable that he regrets ever wanting to get married.

In the end, when Pasquale finds out about the plot, instead of being furious at being deceived, he's relieved to be free once again and gives Norina and Ernesto his blessing over their impending marriage.

"He feigns being angry at being duped, but he's relieved to be out of the 'marriage,' " said Condy, who sings the title role.

And despite what she does to Pasquale, Norina really isn't a bad person even though she did agree to Malatesta's scheme, said Shafer, who sings Norina/Sofronia.

"She has a soft side and she has a good heart." And she'll do whatever it takes to get what she wants — in this case, marrying Ernesto, sung by Robert McPherson.. "But she has to get Pasquale out of the way to achieve that."