Laurent Pelly’s sunny production of Donizetti’s joyous opera L'elisir d'amore returns with two world-class casts, led by Pretty Yende and Rolando Villazón, and Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna.
Village boy Nemorino is besotted with the wealthy Adina. She rejects his declarations of love – but fortunately the quack Doctor Dulcamara is on hand with a ‘love potion’ to help him win her heart.
L’elisir d’amore is one of the most loved of all Donizetti’s operas. It combines touching romance and hilarious comedy with beautiful music, including Nemorino’s enchanting aria ‘Una furtiva lagrima’. The opera’s premiere in Milan in 1832 was a triumph and secured Donizetti’s place as one of the leading Italian opera composers of his day. Donizetti deftly brings his characters alive with a sparkling score: Nemorino’s love for Adina is expressed through lyrical arias; Adina’s animated, flamboyant style softens as her feelings towards Nemorino begin to change – and all the while Dulcamara, irrepressible showman that he is, endlessly chatters away.
The Royal Opera’s charming production is set in the sun-drenched countryside of 1950s Italy, complete with haystacks, Vespas and even a stray dog. It is injected with lively, visual humour – from Nemorino’s tipsy clowning to Dulcamara’s lumbering truck from which he sells his quack remedies.
At the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, book your L’elisir d’amore tickets today!
Please note: Sung in Italian with English surtitles.