L'elisir d'amore

Synopsis

Set amongst the olive groves of southern Italy, this witty and moving opera tells the story of a love rivalry between Nemorino, a pauper with a passionate heart, and Sergeant Belcore, who is a charming womaniser with a fantastically inflated ego. They vie for the heart of the beautiful, self-assured Adina, who is looking for a grand passion, reflected in her fascination with the story of Tristan and Isolde.

Our Review:

13 May 2009

Pelly updates the original Basque setting to post-war Italy, to a rural community where class is measured by urbanity and modern developments are fast encroaching on the traditional way of life. There’s a rustic feel to the place but the youth zip around on Vespas and electricity pylons line the fields. It’s easy to understand the excitement, therefore, when quack Doctor Dulcamara’s grubby truck rolls into town, and why girls swoon as Sergeant Belcore quick-marches into their sights.

This revival by director Daniel Dooner is still wonderfully fresh and crisp, and musically enjoyable, if a little lack-lustre. Giuseppe Filianoti plays the love-sick Nemorino well and his voice has a pleasant timbre but tends to sound stretched higher up. His final romanza was perfectly good but it lacked the desirable flair. Elsewhere, Anthony Michaels-Moore sings a convincing Belcore, his salt-and-pepper hair lending the swaggering soldier a sugar-daddy air, and Simone Alai...

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