L’Elisir d’Amore: A Lovely Elixir at Glyndebourne

The plot of L’elisir is infectiously amusing. Nemorino is a peasant who is hopelessly in love with the beautiful and young landowner Adina – hopeless because he is too shy to approach her and there is too great a class difference between them.

He hears him telling the townsfolk about the book she has been reading about Tristan and Isolde in which their love is ensured by a magical potion.

Just as Nemorino is wishing he had such a potion, the quack, snake-oil salesman Dulcamara sweeps into town, selling his miracle cure-all concoctions. 

Nemorino asks if he has a love potion, which Dulcamara agrees to sell him, giving him some cheap red wine poured into a flask. He tells Nemorino to take a few sips and wait one day, after which all the women in town will fall in love with him. 

Meanwhile, however, the news comes that Nemorino’s rich uncle has died, leaving him his entire fortune.

So far, only the haberdasher knows this, but the haberdasher tells one of the local girls, on condition of absolute secrecy, and the girl she told tells all the other girls, leaving Adina and Nemorino the only ones who do not know.

All the girls then begin to dance and flirt with Nemorino, which he sees as proof that the elixir is working, and even Dulcamara is astonished at its apparent potency.

Adina, meanwhile is annoyed at Nemorino being so nonchalant towards her as he waits for her to fall in love with him, and just to punish him she agrees to marry the bullying army sergeant Belcore.

As it’s a comedy, however, it all ends happily and Dulcamara takes the opportunity to sell even more bottles of his highly effective love elixir.

Donizetti’s music is gloriously hummable throughout, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ben Gernon adding to the jollity with very spirited playing.

The Italian tenor Matteo Desole played the part of Nemorino in wonderful style, combining a warm but powerful voice with great yokel-like insecurity in his movement.

His delivery of the opera’s best-known aria, Una furtiva lagrima (a furtive tear), was impeccable, gripping the entire audience with the emotions the character was feeling as he thought that Adina would be lost to him.

Donizetti’s music is gloriously hummable throughout, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ben Gernon adding to the jollity with very spirited playing.

The Italian tenor Matteo Desole played the part of Nemorino in wonderful style, combining a warm but powerful voice with great yokel-like insecurity in his movement.

His delivery of the opera’s best-known aria, Una furtiva lagrima (a furtive tear), was impeccable, gripping the entire audience with the emotions the character was feeling as he thought that Adina would be lost to him.