"Don Pasquale" - Accessible Comic Opera at Olympia!

November 18th at 20.00

Olympia, City Music Theatre "Maria Callas"

ATLAS E.P. invites you to the universally accessible opera "Don Pasquale" by Gaetano Donizzetti. "Don Pasquale" has a long history at the Olympia Theatre: its first presentation by the Greek National Opera took place on December 14, 1949, and its most recent was in February 2004, also at the Olympia, in a new production at that time. "Don Pasquale" is Gaetano Donizetti’s most famous comic opera and one of the brightest examples of Italian bel canto—the art of celebrating the beauty and expressive power of the human voice. The premiere took place on January 3, 1843 at the famous Théâtre des Italiens in Paris and was considered the crowning triumph of opera buffa—and at the same time its swan song, marking the beginning of the end of the genre.

The performance on November 18th is presented with Audio Description and voice-over of the Italian dialogues into Greek, Surtitling with depiction of the auditory channel of communication and Interpreting in Greek Sign Language.

Photo from the performance.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE OPERA

Don Pasquale is a character everyone recognizes—from stories, from songs, perhaps even from the family table during holiday gatherings. The same is true of Norina, Ernesto, and Malatesta. Donizetti draws inspiration from the archetypal characters of commedia dell’arte, the Italian popular comedy that flourished from the 16th to the 18th century. Pasquale recalls the old Pantalone; the love-struck Ernesto echoes the melancholy of Pierrot; Dr. Malatesta carries the slyness of Scapin; and Norina borrows Columbina’s sparkle. These familiar echoes provide the framework, upon which Donizetti paints the touches that make each character unique.

The plot is simple and hilarious: elderly Pasquale decides to get married to prevent his nephew Ernesto from inheriting his fortune. Doctor Malatesta sets a trap for him, introducing the beautiful Norina disguised as the ideal bride. However, immediately after the wedding, the "modest girl" turns into a tyrannical wife, turning the unfortunate uncle's life into hell. When the ruse is revealed, Pasquale admits defeat, while the young couple Ernesto and Norina find happiness. The play satirizes greed, the illusions of youth, and social conventions, uniquely combining music and comic action.

You can find more information about the opera on the following link: https://www.oly.gr/en/parastasi/gaetano-donizetti-1797-1848-don-pasquale/

Photo of Norina and Don Pasquale.

ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES RESERVATION

To reserve seats with accessibility services, you can contact ATLAS E.P. at askatlasep@gmail.com  or +30 6993507553 (text and video call).

OUR PEOPLE ON ACCESSIBILITY

Audio description, Voice-over in Greek, depiction of music, curation of services and accessibility production management: Emmanouela Patiniotaki

Surtitling for equal access: Ilias Katsigiannis

Interpreting in Greek Sign Language: Eleni Batziopoulou, Konstantinos Christodoulakos

GSL Interpreting assistance, preparation of texts:

Dialechti Tzanoulinou

The action is implemented within the framework of the "Athens Open Social Net" project, which is part of the "Attica 2021-2027" programme (MIS 6022265) and is co-financed by the European Social Fund.