L’elisir d’amore

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Image courtesy of Liceu

Courage and epic elements surround the creation of this masterpiece of the buffo genre. In his instructions to his librettist, Felice Romani, Donizetti said: "I am obligated to compose music for a libretto within fourteen days. I give you one week to prepare it for me. We shall see which one of us has more courage."

Love potions have been widely used in romantic tales for thousands of years, but in L’elisir d’amore, there is an unexpected and clever twist to the tradition: in this case, the happy ending is not brought about by a love potion (which is nothing more than red wine!), but by a story that revolves around a love potion. When the opera begins, the heroine is reading Tristan and Isolde, the medieval legend where a love affair does occur after drinking a magical elixir.

L’elisir d’amore is a perfect comedy where the main characters manage to be together through their actions, not by a potion. In an unexpected twist, Nemorino will unintentionally win Adina’s heart: the real magic is not in a bottle, but in the sincerity, friendship, and respect that can unite two hearts.

Donizetti’s comedy is one of the most beloved operas of bel canto, like the landowner and the peasant in search of love. The brilliant sopranos Pretty Yende, Serena Sáenz, and Marina Monzó alternate as the clever and intelligent Adina, alongside the innocence and shyness of Nemorino in the voices of tenors Javier Camarena, Michael Spyres (in his debut in this role), and Filipe Manu, winner of the 2024 Viñas Competition. Maestro Diego Matheuz returns to the Gran Teatre del Liceu after a successful Don Pasquale in the 2014-2015 season. Completing the cast are Huw Montague-Rendall and Carles Pachon as the vain and pompous Sergeant Belcore, and Ambrogio Maestri, Fabio Capitanucci, and Simon Orfila as the talkative and charismatic Dottore Dulcamara: their potions can cure anything, even a broken heart.

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