Donizetti's Don Pasquale is a very lightweight work but it does have some emotional depth and some great moments. This production from the Met is the worst of the four that I have seen. It seldom gets beyond the level of a Christmas pantomime and, ultimately, is just a vehicle for Anna Netrebko. The most poignant moment in the opera comes in Act III when Norina slaps her ridiculous old husband Pasquale. We suddenly feel pity for the old fool, and Norina just as immediately realises the enormity of what she has done. At least that is what is supposed to happen but, in this version, Norina has already kicked Pasquale up the arse in Act I so the moment loses its poignancy. The other great moment in this, essentially chamber, opera is when the stage suddenly fills with Pasquale's servants. They proceed to complain about their workload and show their delight in the stupidity of their master and mistress. This scene works very well because the Met has sufficient resources to fill the stage with fifty or so singers for just three minutes. The joke would have worked even better if the servants had been ever present on stage, silently observing all the nonsense.
Anna Netrebko gives a very up-front performance in every sense of the word. She plays her opening scene in a pink corset displaying ample cleavage but she does rely too much on her considerable physical appeal. She makes a shaky start in her opening number. I'm not an expert but it sounded out of tune to me and her voice just wrong for the role. The audience obviously love her, applauding not just her first entrance but also her costume change. John Del Carlo is an embarrassment as Don Pasquale. He is clearly not up to the part and his performance is all buffa without the opera. Tenor Matthew Polenzani and baritone Mariusz Kwiecien have the notes but not the charisma for their roles as Ernesto and Malatesta. There is some ragged ensemble work giving the impression that the production may have been under-rehearsed. The low point for me comes when Del Carlo and Kwiecien deliver an incompetent account of a patter duet. The curtain comes down and then, amazingly, the two reappear to deliver an encore.
The production gets off to a sparkling start with conductor James Levine's brilliant rendition of the overture. An overture that promises much but, in this instance, delivers very little.