Don Pasquale

The elderly bachelor Don Pasquale decides to marry to disinherit his nephew Ernesto, but the young widow Norina—Ernesto's love—and Dr. Malatesta trick him with a fake marriage contract. Norina then pretends to be a tyrannical wife until Pasquale gratefully yields and allows the young couple to wed.

Don Pasquale premiered at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris on January 3, 1843. It was Donizetti's 64th opera and his last major comic work.

Highlights include Norina's cavatina 'Quel guardo il cavaliere,' Ernesto's serenade 'Com'è gentil,' and the brilliant comic duet 'Cheti, cheti, immantinente' between Don Pasquale and Dr. Malatesta. These excerpts are frequently performed in concert and recital.

It is widely considered Donizetti's final comic masterpiece, though not literally his last opera. It stands alongside Rossini's 'Il barbiere di Siviglia' as one of the supreme achievements of the Italian opera buffa tradition.