FULL LE GRAND HÔTEL DE L’OPÉRA (Pasticcio) Florence 2025 Aistė Benkauskaitė, Charles Buttigieg, Garrett Evers, Ferdinand Muradyan
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: LE GRAND HÔTEL DE L'OPÉRA
- Composer: various
- Libretto: various Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: Teatro della Pergola, Firenze, Italy, Mascarade Opera in Florence
- Recorded: June 12, 2025
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Aistė Benkauskaitė, Charles Buttigieg, Garrett Evers, Ferdinand Muradyan, Priya Pariyachart, Luiza Willert
- Conductor: Wyn Davies
- Orchestra: Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna
- Stage Director: Federico Grazzini
- Stage Designer: Anna Bonomelli
- Costume Designer: Edoardo Russo
- Lighting Designer: Giuseppe di Iorio
Information about the Recording
- Published by: OperaVision
- Date Published: 2025
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: yessubs, itsubs
- Video Recording from: YouTube FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
PROGRAMME
‘Overture’ from Der Zigeunerbaron by J. Strauss
‘Mein Aug’ bewacht’ and ‘Ein Greis ist mir im Traum’ from Der Zigeunerbaron by J. Strauss
Priya Pariyachart (Saffi)
Aistė Benkauskaitė (Czipra)
Garrett Evers (Barinkay)
‘Don Pasquale.. Cognato’ and ‘Cheti cheti immantinente’ from Don Pasquale by G. Donizetti
Ferdinand Muradyan (Don Pasquale)
Charles Buttigieg (Dottor Malatesta)
‘Solitudini amiche..’, ‘Zeffiretti lusinghieri..’, ‘Ei stesso vien..’, ‘Principessa, a tuoi sguardi..’, and ‘Odo? O sol..Spiegarti non poss’io’ from Idomeneo by W. A. Mozart
Priya Pariyachart (Ilia)
Aistė Benkauskaitė (Idamante)
‘Overture’ from Così fan tutte by W. A. Mozart
Act I Scene 1-11 from Così fan tutte by W. A. Mozart
Priya Pariyachart (Fiordiligi)
Aistė Benkauskaitė (Dorabella)
Garrett Evers (Ferrando)
Charles Buttigieg (Guglielmo)
Ferdinand Muradyan (Don Alfonso)
Luiza Willert (Despina)
ACT 1
In the faded grandeur of the luxurious Grand Hôtel de l’Opéra, love affairs, intrigues, and madness entwine in a haze of dreams and memories. The younger self of the production’s real-life conductor, Maestro Wyn Davies, observes everything from the piano.
Don Pasquale, the grumpy owner of the hotel, is assisted by the lawyer Dr Malatesta, who is secretly plotting behind his back. Don Pasquale is exasperated by his wife Ilia, who, together with the help of the hotel staff, wants to transform the lobby into an eccentric winter garden filled with exotic animals and tropical plants.
Meanwhile, their son Barinkay returns after many years to marry Saffi, a maid and his longtime fiancée. Opposed by Don Pasquale, the couple discover with the help of Saffi’s cunning mother, Czipra, that a fabulous treasure is hidden in the hotel’s vault. At the same time, Ilia has begun a secret love affair with Idamante, an eccentric cabaret performer who arrives at the hotel disguised as a gorilla. When Don Pasquale discovers their relationship, he sets his mind on revenge. In a crescendo of surreal events, the hotel staff rebel and help Barinkay rob his father’s safe. The first act ends with Don Pasquale in despair over the theft and the escape of his wife Ilia, aided by the treacherous Dr Malatesta.
ACT 2
Don Pasquale (who remains as Don Pasquale in what would usually be the role of Don Alfonso in the original Così fan tutte) finds himself overwhelmed by the debts left behind by his wife Ilia. New guests arrive at the Grand Hôtel, a pair of young aristocratic couples: Dorabella and Ferrando, and Fiordiligi and Guglielmo.
Don Pasquale sees in them a golden opportunity to recover from the recent theft and pay off his debts. He convinces Ferrando and Guglielmo to bet a large sum of money on the presumed infidelity of their fiancées, Dorabella and Fiordiligi.
The scene shifts to the hotel’s spa, where the love wager unfolds. With the help of the hotel staff and the clever Despina, an elaborate farce is staged: the two men pretend to leave for war, only to return disguised as exotic Eastern princes, aiming to test the girls’ fidelity with the assistance of Despina and the staff recruited by Don Pasquale.
Young Maestro Davies reappears at the piano. On stage, we now also see the real-life Maestro himself who has recalled this story from his memories, a witness to a past suspended between reality and dream.
Quoted from OperaVision