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L'elisir d'amore
| Gaetano Donizetti |
|---|
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L'elisir d'amore is an opera by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti.
It is a melodramma giocoso in two acts.
Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's Il filtro (1831).
Written in haste, "L'elisir d'amore: melodramma giocoso" was the most often performed opera in Italy between 1838 and 1848 and has remained continually in the international opera repertory.
Today it is one of the most frequently performed of all Donizetti's operas.
It appears as number 12 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide.
There is a large number of recordings.
It contains the popular aria "Una furtiva lagrima," a romanza for the tenor that is one of the most famous and often-excerpted arias in all of opera.
Donizetti insisted on a number of changes from the original Scribe libretto, "Il filtro".
The most well known of these was the insertion of "Una Furtiva Lagrima."
Others are the duet between Adina and Nemorino in the first act, "Chiedi All'Aura Lusinghiera", and the rewritten lyrics to "Io son ricco e tu sei bella" in the final scene of the opera, where this duet, originally a song written by Dulcamara for the marriage of Adina and Belcore, reoccurs as a Dulcamara solo with scabrous lyrics, becoming the de facto final aria—a feature of many Donizetti operas.
In general, under Donizetti's hands, the subject became more romantic than in the Auber version of "Il filtro".
"L'Elisir d'Amore" features three big duets between the tenor and soprano, making it one of the first operas (La Traviata, Tristano e Isotta, and La Boheme are others) that can be considered "duet operas".
There is also considerable personal history in the this opera.
Donizetti's military service was bought by a rich woman, so that, unlike his brother Giuseppe (also a well known composer) he didn't have to serve in the Austrian army.
The premiere of L'elisir d'amore was at the Teatro della Canobbiana, Milan on 12 May 1832.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 12 May 1832 (Conductor: Alessandro Rolla) |
|---|---|---|
| Nemorino, a simple peasant, in love with Adina | tenor | Gianbattista Genero |
| Adina, a wealthy landowner | soprano | Sabine Heinefetter |
| Belcore, a sergeant | baritone | Henri-Bernard Dabadie |
| Dr Dulcamara, an itinerant medicine man | bass | Giuseppe Frezzolini |
| Giannetta, Adina's friend | soprano | Marietta Sacchi |
| Peasants, soldiers of Belcore's platoon | ||
Synopsis
- Place: A small village in the Basque Country.
- The Schirmer English edition of the score states that the action takes place 'In a small Italian Village'
- Time: The end of the 18th century
Act 1
Nemorino, a poor peasant, is in love with Adina, a beautiful landowner, who torments him with her indifference.When Nemorino hears Adina reading to her workers the story of Tristano e Isotta, he is convinced that a magic potion will help him to gain Adina's love.
The self-important Sergeant Belcore appears with his regiment and immediately sets about courting Adina in front of everyone.
Nemorino becomes anxious and, alone with Adina, declares his love for her, but Adina rebuffs him, telling him she wants a different lover every day.
Nemorino declares that his feelings will never change.
The traveling quack doctor, Dulcamara (the self-proclaimed Dr. Encyclopedia), arrives, selling his bottled cure-all to the townspeople.
Nemorino innocently asks Dulcamara if he has any of Isolde's love potion.
Dulcamara says he does and sells it to Nemorino.
Unknown to Nemorino, the bottle contains only cheap Bordeaux.
In order to make a timely escape, Dulcamara tells Nemorino the potion will not take effect until the next day — by which time, the doctor will be long gone.
Nemorino drinks it, feeling its effects immediately.
Emboldened by the 'elixir', Nemorino encounters Adina and feigns indifference.
Adina becomes increasingly annoyed (perhaps because she has feelings for Nemorino).
Belcore returns and proposes marriage to Adina.
Still riled by Nemorino, Adina promises to marry Belcore in six days' time.
Nemorino's confidence that tomorrow he will win Adina by virtue of the elixir causes him to act indifferently toward her.
Belcore then learns that his regiment must leave the next morning and Adina accordingly promises to marry him that very day.
Nemorino is, of course, panicked, and cries out for Dr. Dulcamara to come to his aid.
Adina, meanwhile, invites everyone to the wedding.
Act 2
Adina and Belcore's wedding party is in full swing.Dr. Dulcamara gets Adina to sing a duet with him to entertain the guests.
The notary arrives to make the marriage official.
Adina is annoyed to see that Nemorino has not appeared.
While everyone goes to witness the signing of the wedding contract, Dulcamara stays behind, helping himself to food and drink.
Nemorino appears, having seen the notary.
He is depressed as he believes that he has lost Adina.
He sees Dulcamara and frantically begs him for more elixir, of the type that will work immediately.
But because Nemorino has no money, the Doctor refuses.
Belcore emerges, alone, wondering aloud why Adina has suddenly put off the wedding and the signing of the contract.
Nemorino spots his rival.
Belcore asks Nemorino why he is depressed.
When Nemorino says he needs money, Belcore tells him that if he joins the army he'll be paid immediately.
Belcore tries to excite Nemorino with tales of military life, while Nemorino dreams of winning fame and thus Adina.
Belcore produces a contract and Nemorino signs it in return for cash, which Belcore gives him on the spot.
Nemorino privately vows to rush to Dulcamara for more potion, while Belcore muses that he has easily dispatched of his rival by sending him off to war.
After the two men have left, Giannetta gossips with the women of the village that Nemorino is unaware that he has just inherited a large fortune from his uncle.
Nemorino enters, having clearly spent his military signing bonus, and bought and consumed a large amount of 'elixir' (wine again) from Dr. Dulcamara.
The women approach Nemorino with overly friendly greetings, the likes of which he has never seen.
This is proof to Nemorino that this dose of the elixir has worked.
Adina sees Nemorino with the women and is rattled by his newfound popularity.
Encountering Dr. Dulcamara, she asks what has gotten into Nemorino.
Dulcamara, unaware that Adina is the object of Nemorino's affection, tells her that Nemorino has spent his last penny on the elixir and joined the army for money to get more, so desperate was he to win the love of some unnamed cruel beauty.
Adina immediately realizes Nemorino's sincerity, and regrets her behaviour.
She realises that she has loved Nemorino all along.
Dulcamara tries to sell her one of his potions to win Nemorino back, but Adina declares that she has full confidence in her own powers of attraction.
| ||||
Nemorino appears alone, pensive, reflecting on a tear he saw in Adina's eye when he was ignoring her earlier.
Based on that tear alone, he is now sincerely convinced that Adina loves him.
Adina enters and asks Nemorino why he has chosen to join the army and leave the town.
When Nemorino says he's seeking a better life, Adina responds by telling him he is loved, and that she has purchased his military contract from Sergeant Belcore.
She offers the cancelled contract to Nemorino and reassures him that if he stays he will be happy.
As he takes the contract Adina turns to leave.
Nemorino believes she is abandoning him and flies into a desperate fit, vowing that if he is not loved he might as well go off and die a soldier.
Deeply moved by his fidelity, Adina finally declares that she will love Nemorino forever.
Nemorino is ecstatic.
Adina begs him to forgive her for teasing him.
He does so with a kiss.
Belcore returns and sees Nemorino and Adina in an embrace.
Adina explains that she loves Nemorino.
The Sergeant takes the news in stride, noting that there are plenty of other women in the world.
Dulcamara returns and boasts of the success of his elixir.
Nemorino is not only loved but also now rich.
As he prepares to leave, everyone queues up to buy the elixir and hails Dulcamara as a great physician.
Noted arias
- Quanto è bella, quanto è cara (How beautiful she is) — CAVATINA -- Nemorino in Act I, Scene 1
- Della crudele Isotta (Of the cruel Isolda) — Adina in Act I, Scene 1
- Come Paride vezzoso (Just as the charming Paris) — Belcore in Act I, Scene 1
- Udite, udite, o rustici (Listen, listen, o peasants) — Doctor Dulcamara in Act I, Scene 2
- Barcarolle for Two Voices Io son ricco e tu sei bella (I'm rich, and you are beautiful) — Dulcamara, Adina in Act II, Scene 1
- Una furtiva lagrima (A furtive tear) — ROMANZA -- Nemorino in Act II, Scene 2
- Prendi, per me sei libero (Take it, I have freed you) — Adina in Act II, Scene 2
Arrangements and adaptations
In 1840, Richard Wagner arranged the work for solo piano.W. S. Gilbert wrote a burlesque adaptation of the opera, Dulcamara, or the Little Duck and the Great Quack, in 1866.
In 2011, Divaria Productions in New York City set the opera in a golf resort in the modern age.[7]
[edit] Recordings
| Year | Cast (Adina, Nemorino, Belcore, Dulcamara) | Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra | Label[8][9] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Hilde Gueden, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Renato Capecchi Fernando Corena | Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra and Chorus | CD: Decca Cat: 443542 |
| 1966 | Roberta Peters, Carlo Bergonzi, Frank Guarrera, Fernando Corena | Thomas Schippers, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Met Opera broadcast of 5 March 1966) | CD: Sony Classical Cat: 90991-2 |
| 1967 | Mirella Freni, Nicolai Gedda, Mario Sereni, Renato Capecchi | Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Rome Opera Orchestra and Chorus | CD: EMI Cat: CMS 7 69897 2 |
| 1970 | Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Dominic Cossa Spiro Malas | Richard Bonynge, English Chamber Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus | CD: Decca Cat: 424912-2 |
| 1977 | Ileana Cotrubas, Plácido Domingo, Ingvar Wixell, Sir Geraint Evans | John Pritchard, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra and Chorus | Audio CD: Sony Masterworks Cat: 2796-96458-2 |
| 1986 | Barbara Bonney, Gösta Winbergh, Bernd Weikl, Rolando Panerai | Gabriele Ferro, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra and Chorus | CD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: B000458002 |
| 1990 | Kathleen Battle, Luciano Pavarotti, Leo Nucci, Enzo Dara | James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus | CD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 429744 |
| 1996 | Alessandra Ruffini, Vincenzo La Scola, Roberto Frontiali, Simone Alaimo | Piergiorgio Morandi, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus | CD:Naxos Cat: 8660045-46 |
| 1997 | Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Roberto Scaltriti, Simone Alaimo | Evelino Pidò, Lyon Opera Orchestra and Chorus | CD:Decca Cat: 455691 |
| 2006 | Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazón, Leo Nucci, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo | Alfred Eschwé, Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Chorus | DVD: Virgin Classics/EMI Cat: 00946 363352 9 |
| 2007 | Silvia Dalla Benetta, Raùl Hernández, Alex Esposito, Damiano Salerno | Alessandro De Marchi, Teatro Donizetti, Bergamo Orchestra and Chorus | DVD: Dynamic (record label) Cat. 33577 |
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ "Composed in less than a month", according to The New Grove Masters of Italian Opera, 1983:97.
- ^ William Ashbrook in Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy.
- ^ "Opera Statistics". Operabase. http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en#opera. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ The Elixir of Love: G.Schimer printed 1990/91 p.x
- ^ Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., 1954
- ^ "St. James's Theatre, The Era, 30 December 1866, p. 15
- ^ Popular Opera Gets Contemporary, Golf-Themed Update
- ^ L'elisir d'amore discography from Stanford website
- ^ Recordings of Elixir on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
- Sources
- Ashbrook, William, Donizetti and His Operas, Cambridge University Press, 1982, ISBN 0-521-23526-X
- Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-14-029312-4
- Osborne, Charles, The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1994 ISBN 0-931340-71-3
- Weinstock, Herbert, Donizetti and the World of Opera in Italy, Paris, and Vienna in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century, New York: Octagon, 1963, 1979. ISBN 978-0374983376 OCLC 5219645
[edit] External links
- Full score with english translation at the International Music Score Library Project
- Vocal score with english translation
- Stanford.edu | Libretto (Italian)
- Essay by Thomas May for San Francisco Opera
- (English) (French) & (Occitan) Cross-over between L’Elisir d’amore and the traditional music from County of Nice, France
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