Elisir’s plot is infectiously entertaining. Nemorino is a peasant who is hopelessly in love with the beautiful young landowner Adina – hopelessly because he is too shy to approach her and there is a huge class difference between them.
He overhears him telling the townspeople about the book she has been reading about Tristan and Isolde in which their love is guaranteed by a magic potion.
Just as Nemorino wishes he had such a potion, quack snake oil seller Dulcamara sweeps through town, selling all of his miraculous healing blends.
Nemorino asks if he has a love potion, which Dulcamara agrees to sell, giving him some cheap red wine to pour into a flask. He tells Nemorino to take a few sips and wait for one day, and then all the women in town will fall in love with him.
Meanwhile, news comes that Nemorino’s rich uncle has passed away, leaving him his entire fortune.
So far, only the haberdashery maid knows this, but the haberdashery expert tells one of the local girls, on the condition of absolute secrecy, and the girl tells it to all the other girls, leaving Adena and Nemorino the only ones who don’t know.
All the girls then start dancing and flirting with Nemorino, which he sees as proof that the elixir works, and even Dulcamara is amazed at his apparent power.
Meanwhile, Adina is annoyed by Nemorino’s indifference towards her as he is waiting for her to fall in love with him, and just to punish him, she agrees to marry the thug Army Sergeant Belcore.
Since it is a comedy, everything ends happily and Dulcamara takes the opportunity to sell more bottles of the highly effective elixir of love.
Donizetti’s music is groovy throughout, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ben Gernon adding to the delight with soulful playing.
The Italian tenor Matteo Dessole played Nemorino with great style, combining a warm and powerful voice with the insecurity of his movement like a ukulele.
His rendition of the opera’s most famous aria, Una furtiva lagrima (Hidden tear), was flawless, capturing the entire audience with the emotions the character was feeling as he thought Adina would be lost to him.
Donizetti’s music is groovy throughout, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ben Gernon adding to the delight with soulful playing.
The Italian tenor Matteo Dessole played Nemorino with great style, combining a warm and powerful voice with the insecurity of his movement like a ukulele.
His rendition of the opera’s most famous aria, Una furtiva lagrima (Hidden tear), was flawless, capturing the entire audience with the emotions the character was feeling. Because he thought that Adena would be lost to him.
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