Performance History
Don Pasquale was given its premiere on 3 January 1843 in Italian by the Théâtre-Italien at the Salle Ventadour in Paris. Performed by four of the most celebrated singers of the day, it was an immediate success. It was recognized at the time as, and is still considered, Donizetti's comic masterpiece, and remains one of the most popular of his 66 operas, as well as one of the three most popular Italian comic operas, the other two being Rossini's The Barber of Seville and Donizetti's own L'elisir d'amore.
The first performance in Italy was at La Scala, Milan on 17 April 1843 with Ottavia Malvani (Norina), Napoleone Rossi (Pasquale), Leone Corelli (Ernesto), and Achille De Bassini (Malatesta). Its first performance in Vienna was at the Kärtnertortheater on 14 May 1843, a production in which Donizetti participated and added the comic baritone duet "Cheti, cheti, immantinente" from a discarded portion of his unperformed opera L'ange de Nisida. In London it was presented for the first time in England on 29 June 1843 at Her Majesty's Theatre, and the United States premiere took place on 7 January 1845 at the Téatre d'Orleans in New Orleans. The first Australian performance was presented in Sydney on 12 October 1854 at the Royal Victoria Theatre.
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