Don Pasquale - February 2009

Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” was recently performed by Garden Opera in The Blake Theatre as part of The Merlin Music Society’s season.  It is a comic opera dealing with flirtation, farce, plots and marriage, and all ends well.

The Opera was staged plainly and beautifully in the Blake Theatre using a simple but effective set design. The use of colourful 70s clothing and décor only added to the comic value of the Opera, but sometimes was a little garish. Perhaps for me not being brought up in the 70s I don’t have the ability to appreciate it fully. The ensemble consisted of a piano, violins, cello, clarinet/flute, and trumpet which sat to the left of the small stage.

The Opera was generally enjoyed; although some believed the Opera itself to be a little too full of clichés, but one must take into account the tastes of the time. Donizetti was indeed a great composer and the more complex passages of the Opera with all characters singing at once, show how intricate his arrangement actually is. The adaptation of the Opera, including the translation into English, made the opera easier to understand but I personally believe that opera is best performed in its original language, and that English is hardly a romantic language to sing in. The modification of the music which had been translated into spoken word also seemed to detract from the overall feel of the Opera.

Despite the slight problems I believed it contained, the evening was wonderful.  The performances were particularly good; especially James McOran-Compbell as Dr.Malatesta whose voice carried extremely well and its control and strength was wonderful. Alexander Anderson-Hall bestowed some wonderful comic moments upon the opera, and Sally-Ann Shepherdson sang her part extremely well considering she was feeling unwell. Deryck Hamon, playing Don Pasquale was particularly amusing playing the conservative old man.  

The Garden Opera Company, being a touring company that aims to appeal to wide audiences, actively translates and adapts the operas they perform. Since 1994, they have performed in approximately 60 venues annually in the UK and abroad. Theirs is a charity that engages in building community, education, outreach, and keeping the spirit of opera alive.

Overall the performance was extremely entertaining. 

Katrin Platt HMSG