Don Pasquale

Jerzy Stuhr succeeded in making a lively spectacle, without no longueur at all, in which every gesture and every look are well justified, and every singer, including the chorus, knows exactly who and how they should play. I recommend all of you the “Don Pasquale” at the Krakow Opera…

In Krakow comic scenes are built by gestures, even looks, and of course, costumes – on the border of exaggeration, but still a display of good taste (to Maria Balcerek’s design). The stage director does not re-create the past; he plays with it and enriches it, for example by a fashion show on stage, led by an 18th-century Lagerfeld. The rest is up to the performers. Mariusz Kwiecień shows his exuberant personality at its best, signing beautiful bel canto, while at the same time  showing how important every word is.

It was light, funny and charming. (...) Group scenes of the performance are superb. They are visually ravishing with their choreography which organises action and a stage space”.

Jerzy Stuhr created a spectacle in which he focused on highlighting the comical aspects of the text and situations, without interfering with the singers’ vocal tasks; he created a true theatre. (...) The performance was very well prepared and executed musically. (…) Mariusz Kwiecień as Malatesta was sensational in every respect, Andrzej Lampert, a nephew ill-treated by his uncle, sang beautifully.

Outbursts of laughter in the audience, a standing ovation, encores during the performance, Mariusz Kwiecień at his best, and Jerzy Stuhr – an expert in the comedy repertoire, this in his opera debut. (…) The audience often burst with laughter, practically from the very first notes of the opera. Here we should bow low to the Grzegorz Szostak in the role of Don Pasquale. His character is the most expressive and almost the entire weight of the spectacle depends on him. Szostak created the role not only musically flawless. He was authentic and convincing, showing a distance from himself. (…) Mariusz Kwiecień, in the role of Malatesta, was at his best -   his confidence, unfaltering voice and technical perfection were in the top shape. His acting was expressive, soft, subtle and natural. (…) Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” at the Krakow Opera is a result of the close cooperation between the conductor, Tomasz Tokarczyk, the stage director and the actors who showed the command of the text and acting. As a result we finally received a work based on the word, while at the same time musically up to the highest standards (A big hand for the orchestra, a big hand for the soloists!).