Don Pasquale Debuted Today in 1843

Mariusz Kwiecien in Don Pasquale - Seattle Opera 2003

On this date in 1843 Gaetano Donizetti's comic masterpiece debuted in Paris at the Théâtre Italien. We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than with the amazingly funny John Del Carlo and barihunk  Mariusz Kwiecien singing the duet ''Cheti,cheti immantinente,'' which was encored every night during their Metropolitan Opera run.

Upcoming performances of the opera include a new production at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées starring Alessandro Corbelli and Lorenzo Ragazzo as Don Pasquale and Gabriele Viviani as Dr. Malatesta. For those of you who love hunkentenors, check out the March 2012 run of Don Pasquale with tenor Charles Castronovo and the baritone coupling of John Del Carlo and Jeff Mattsey.

Tenor Charles Castronovo looking Barihunkish

Don Pasquale was the 64th of Donizetti's 66 operas. It was composed shortly after he was appointed music director and composer for the imperial court of Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. After its opening in Paris, performance quickly followed in Milan and London. The opera had its U.S. premiere in New Orleans at the Téatre d'Orleans on January 7, 1845.

If you're looking for a barihunk Dr. Malatesta, you'll have to head to the Rhein River valley, where Reinhold Schreyer-Morlock is taking on the role in Wiesbaden. We've not featured him on this site before, but he's certainly worth watching.

"Well, hello!" Reinhold Schreyer-Morlock

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