Don Pasquale (complete opera recorded in 2007)

"Donizetti's final comic masterpiece dmands velocity, pathos and above all wit. This Don Pasquale from Geneva has them all, and with Evelino Pidò conducting in the pit, it bubbles with excitement." BBC Music Magazine DVD Choice - May 2008

"Evelino Pidò is a specialist in this repertory and he leads the Geneva forces in a well balanced account of what many people consider Doniezetti's masterpiece, The outstanding performance comes from Simone Alaimo in the title-role." Gramophone Magazine DVD of the Month - July 2008

Not only was Gaetano Donizetti prolific, he wrote operas in a number of different styles and genres. Like any self-respecting 19th century composer, he yearned to make a breakthrough in Paris, the opera capital of the time. His dreams were finally realised starting in the late 1830s, with a string of successes including his French adaptation of Lucia di Lammermoor, as well as the first performance of The Daughter of the Regiment, la Favorite and Les Martyrs at the Opera Comique and paris Opera. His second comic opera, Don Pasquale,opened at paris' Theatre-Italien on 3 January 1843.