Every production at the Donizetti Opera Festival has its specialty and purpose. One (this year, “Roberto Devereux”) is a serious production of the highest quality, another is a rare piece (this time “Zoraida di Granata,” which also took a stand to bring the most serious and painful topics to the stage), and another is fun and delightful. So, when you see “Don Pasquale” in the program, you know exactly what it intends to be.

Then, you spot the names of Javier Camarena, and you know that you will drown in a sea of elegant and effortless Bel Canto; and Roberto de Candia in a title role, and you get an appetite to see what he could do with this role after his bright interpretations of Figaro and Leporello.

Then you see the name of Amélie Niermeyer, and… hope diminishes a bit. This year at the Donizetti Festival, anticipating Niermeyer’s production, I only hoped that this time – unlike her “Otello” – she’d succeed in conveying her concept, as always right and kind, without distorting its meaning, without destroying the composer’s ideas, without offending the guiltless. 

Another Failed Attempt to Stand for the Good Ideas

Unfortunately, the first thing I saw when the curtains lifted, was the crushing of my hopes. Not only mine, I guess, since the disapproving whispers didn’t stop even during the first arias. Niermeyer, declaring herself as a liberal and feminist, proves yet again that she is a man-hater. Yes, Don Pasquale is ridiculous, but in the director’s view, we must ridicule simple healthy things that I, for example, recommend men of all ages do. So if a 70+-year-old man exercises, we should portray it as ridiculous, let’s laugh at him? It seemed more like an indecent violation of an elderly person’s privacy.

I only note that other director’s ideas (about actually important topics like LGBT rights and love freedom) never made it better and sometimes even confused the public, but under the reign of young singers on stage, the performance became so much better that not a single person would think about leaving the auditorium once the platform turned again to show us the shabby hatchback parked on the back of the house. Because it was then that…

…A Star Was Born

Well, it would be better to say, the star struggled to get out of her beat-up car (thank you again, Mrs. Niermeyer). But finally, she got out and started to sing. And all that very unattractive world on the stage soon became a lovely place. It was her magic.

Giulia Mazzola‘s soprano is rich and powerful, she works through the high notes effortlessly, and masters any tempi just right. Don Pasquale, suddenly, turned out to be a wonderful showcase for this bright lyric soprano.

The acting skills are no less impressive (probably Niermeyer’s over-focus on the female character came in handy). And so, the young soprano kept shining, over the entire performance, as her voice remained strong and vivid, without making a single mistake, she energized everything that happened on stage. 

There was a wonderful moment at the last part, when in the center of a mess on the stage, Norina climbed onto the platform to glorify the joy of love, and Ernesto looked at her for a bit from the bottom… His eyes shone with love, and then, you could see, how delighted and amazed he was, and soon understood that it was not Ernesto, but seemed that Javier Camarena himself, was astonished by the art of a young singer in front of him. There seemed to be so much parental care, pride, and appreciation in his eyes.

I hope Giulia Mazzola knows how much she is appreciated because she deserves it all.

The Lovely Men

No matter, what Amélie Niermeyer suggested we see in the male characters, all of them were charming and over the edge.

The title character was portrayed by Roberto de Candia with the right energy and colors, way better than the directing would demand from him. His voice is in wonderful shape and his articulation is of a high quality.

The role of Doctor Malatesta was sung by another student of Bottega Donizetti, Dario Sogos. The young baritone immediately got to the right sound and picture. Despite the highly altered surroundings of the play, his charisma and ingenuity came incredibly naturally to him. His baritone was consistent and agile, and famous duets with Don Pasquale became just another high point of the night.

How not to mention the elephant in the room… The voice and skills of Javier Camarena were a symbol of elegance and romanticism, no matter what he was suggested to be in this production. Another sweet moment of the evening, for both the audience and the Mexican tenor, was his serenade accompanied by a Mariachi band.

Triumphing Over Everything

There were many little witty findings during the performance. There was a live trumpet on the stage. There was a fantastic duet and a charismatic leader. There was Javier Camarena who sings Donizetti (only this makes a five-star night). And yet, we all know that this production will soon be archived because if the art cannot deliver the idea, confused with its own language, it will not last. And yet, this night was a triumph.

Six years ago, I started my review of Niermeyer’s “Otello” by asking “Can great singing justify the whole opera production?” and concluded that the entire star cast in Munich led by Jonas Kaufmann had hardly managed it. And now, at Donizetti Opera 2024, the young Sicilian soprano Giulia Mazzola, a woman whose name was unremarkable in the festival program, except for a note about Bottega Donizetti, unexpectedly did it. Just like that. Over the entire sore set, confusing ideas, and a broken car, she made this night a miracle.