Donizetti: Don Pasquale Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

Donizetti: Don Pasquale Blu-ray Movie Review

Tastes great and less filling.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 4, 2011

The world of opera might be likened to a gourmet meal, one that is filled with rich creams, lots of high end carbohydrates, thick slabs of meat and buttery sauces that can raise cholesterol levels almost by osmosis. And so it’s not unusual that some opera lovers crave a little sorbet to cleanse the palate every now and again, and I for one can’t think of a tastier sherbet than the gorgeously languid, brilliantly funny, and effortlessly light and breezy works of Donizetti. This Italian composer, now strangely relegated to second string (if even that), was once thought of as the paradigm of opera composers from his country, long before anyone had ever uttered the names of Verdi or Puccini. Donizetti typically liked to traverse the buffa world, a lighter comedic universe that is diametrically opposed to the lavish tragedies of later Italian opera composers. Don Pasquale is one of the greatest Donizetti pieces, one filled to the brim with charming melodies, gorgeous orchestration, wonderfully memorable characters, and a suitably farcical plot line that allows for the operatic equivalent of those Feydeau slamming doors, mixed up identities, and, of course, star-crossed lovers who manage against all odds to get to their happy ending. The Metropolitan Opera has been rather aggressively marketing itself as a leading provider of high definition entertainment, both with “live” in (movie) theater broadcasts of their slate of productions, as well as an increasing presence in the home video market courtesy of Blu-rays. This stellar Deutsche Grammophon release presents the acclaimed 2010 production of Don Pasquale featuring John Del Carlo as the aging Don in search of a bride, and Anna Netrebko, usually associated with those very tragic roles espoused by later Italianates, in a wonderful comic performance as Norina, the girl in love with the Don’s nephew but who tricks the Don into thinking he’s married her (in a disguised identity).

This production was broadcast as part of PBS’ Great Performances series, and because this was ported over straight from that broadcast, it contains both Susan Graham’s introduction as well as a couple of kind of weird interstitials between acts, where we see the crew changing the scenery or Graham interviews various cast members. One interstitial shows how the offstage singing was handled, and while it’s an interesting look at the backstage goings-on, it also draws the viewer right out of the proceedings as if we’re suddenly watching a “making of” featurette. While all of this is fine (and indeed fun) for a one-off broadcast, it might have been more convenient had this Blu-ray been edited so that just the sparkling performance of Don Pasquale be included (perhaps with Graham’s brief introductory comments), with the rest of the items stuck into an Extras menu option.

Be that as it may, this is an often exceptional Don Pasquale, with some incredibly lustrous singing on the parts of Del Carlo, Netrebko, and an unbelievably languid and lyrical Matthew Polenzani as Ernesto. Netrebko is especially impressive in a role perhaps not especially well suited to her temperament, but vocally she is a knockout and she handles the comedic voluptuousness of Norina effortlessly. It's particularly fun to see her evince a role which is sort of the polar opposite of Kate in The Taming of the Shrew. Here, a supposedly submissive and compliant woman turns into the "wife" from hell. Though it may come as a bit of a shock when Graham announces it during his introduction, conductor James Levine is celebrating his 40th anniversary with the Met, though this was evidently the first time he had ever conducted Don Pasquale. That relative unfamiliarity with the score isn’t an issue, as this is one of the most wonderfully paced Pasquales in recent memory, with Levine taking just the right tempi at virtually every moment, and with him maintaining a firm hand on the balance between the exquisite orchestra and his equally fine principal cast and ensemble. (Levine had fairly recent major back surgery, and you’ll notice him struggle a bit to get up on the podium, and later when he takes his onstage bow, you’ll see he not very artfully hides his cane behind the curtain).

This Met production, helmed by Otto Schenk, premiered in 2006, but it’s lost little of its luster in the intervening four or five years. Rolf Langenfass’ ingenious set designs make Pasquale’s dilapidated mansion a fitting symbol for his own rumpled condition, something which has obviously seen better days. The courtyard scene is also very evocative and features a beautiful scenic (and lighting) design. But what’s perhaps most notable about this production is how Schenk very subtly helps move us past the façades of these characters, helping us to see the humanity hiding beneath the types. Too often Don Pasquale, as undeniably agreeable and ebullient as it is, is surface deep, but this Met production quite laudably introduces some real emotion, especially in the third act.

Donizetti’s strange relegation to the compositional sidelines in the centuries since his death is rather odd when you consider how wonderfully inventive his work really is. And he’s had a perhaps surprisingly broad reach culturally and compositionally which is largely forgotten and/or ignored. His contributions to Italian opera (and opera in general) are undeniable, but for just one nice example of how his music has obviously reached out and touched other composers, take a quick listen to the elegiac trumpet solo in the opening bars of the Preludio to Act Two. Then go and listen to Nino Rota’s main theme to The Godfather and you try to argue that the famous film composer didn’t have Donizetti on his mind. To horribly mix cultural references, Donizetti repeatedly makes us an offer we can’t refuse, and the good news is, you’d have to be a fool to refuse a banquet like this Don Pasquale.

Donizetti: Don Pasquale Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Don Pasquale is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. For the most part this is a sharp and appealing looking presentation, though either by dint of the lighting scheme or the filming conditions, flesh tones are just a tad on the yellow side some of the time. The overall image is reasonably sharp, though there's an slightly soft quality to midrange and wide shots that keep this Pasquale from being a total standout from an image quality perspective. Colors are very robust and well saturated, and fine detail is exceptional in the many close-ups. There are some niggling issues with contrast and black levels, especially in some of the dimly lit scenes, where crush is fairly evident.

Donizetti: Don Pasquale Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Don Pasquale offers two sterling lossless tracks, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix, and an LPCM 2.0 stereo fold down. The DTS track offers incredible fidelity, with everything from Netrebko's highest notes to the low tones of bassoons and contrabasses delivered with excellent fidelity. Dynamic range is incredibly impressive here, especially with Levine's meticulous attention to changes in volume. The balance between singers and orchestra is virtually perfect, with only a dropped syllable or two in places, due no doubt to microphone placement. The orchestra sounds especially resplendent in this production, with everything from the opening cello solo to the final orchestral tutti spilling over the surrounds with a near perfect recreation of the original hall ambience.

Donizetti: Don Pasquale Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements on the Blu-ray. As mentioned above in the main body of the review, it might have been smarter to excise at least the interstitial backstage and interview segments and to have included them as extras, rather than interrupting the flow of the performance with them.

Donizetti: Don Pasquale Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Don Pasquale is such a breath of operatic fresh air that it's almost always an unusually fulfilling experience. What this Met production manages to do quite successfully is blend the traditional buffa elements with a more naturalistic bent (at least with regard to the third act) that helps to make this more than just a sung cartoon. This is an A-list cast delivering brilliant performances, and Levine is also at the top of his game, despite evidently having some physical issues. With a resplendent and sumptuous (if slightly dilapidated) physical production and a gloriously effective orchestra, this is a wonderful Don Pasquale that makes it easy to understand why this was an SRO event in New York City last year. Highly recommended.