L'elisir d'amore

Love potions are booming in literature: Just think of the medieval story of Tristan and Isolde, who — more than 30 years before Wagner's musical drama — also found its way into Donizetti's opera. This legend makes the somewhat simple-minded Nemorino want to speed up his approach to the adored Adina a little by means of a magic potion, which the charlatan Dulcamara sells to him.

But similar to Tristan and Isolde, the capture does not actually lead to the intended goal. Because when Nemorino drunkenly meets Adina — the intoxicating effect of the potion is due to his high percentages — she turns away angrily and decides without further ado to marry the dashing soldier Belcore. This requires a second bottle of “love potion” and extensive help from Godfather Chance so that Nemorino and Adina still find each other and in the end the entire village community is completely convinced of the effect of the elixir. With the delightful naivety of the characters, Donizetti and his librettist Felice Romani make fun of credulity and gullibility in a loving and tender way. The music, which is said to have been created within just three weeks, also gives the protagonists touching, intimate moments, not only in the famous aria “Una furtiva lagrima.” The inexhaustible wealth of melodies makes L'elisir d'amore one of Donizetti's most popular stage works, which is now returning to the State Opera schedule after a long break.