L’elisir d’amore

The buffa L’elisir d’amore, about a marvellous elixir, which isn’t actually marvellous at all, yet serves its purported purpose, has entertained global audiences for more than 190 years.

Gaetano Donizetti completed his 40th opera within a mere fortnight. The piece premiered to great acclaim in 1832 at the Teatro alla Canobbiana in Milan.

Essentially depicting a story of quackery seasoned with a love plot, the music draws considerably upon the Italian folk song tradition. Telling the simple tale of Nemorino, a naïve peasant who falls in love with Adina, a wealthy landowner, and strives to win her heart by means of a miraculous potion (in fact just cheap red wine), Donizetti created one of the most sparkling comic operas of all, one abounding in splendid gags and tender melodies. What is more, within a few bars the composer managed to perfectly outline situations and aptly render human characters: the cunning itinerant swindler Dulcamara, who sells such cure-alls as a rejuvenation remedy and love concoction; the bragging sergeant Belcore; the self-confident belle Adina; and the diffident Nemorino.

• Language: In Italian, surtitles in Czech, English
• Premiere: September 22, 2023

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