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(More customer reviews)Elisir d'amore is one of Donizetti's most popular operas, and it's easy to see why: it's bubbly, funny, romantic, and Nemorino remains one of opera's best tenor roles. The story of the country bumpkin drinking a "love elixir" to win the heart of the town flirt contains some of Donizetti's best music, and the famous aria "Una furtiva lagrima." Nemorino was a favorite role legendary tenors such as Caruso, Gigli and di Stefano. It's been lucky on video too. There is a wonderful B&W film from 1968 with Carlo Bergonzi, Renata Scotto, and Giuseppe Taddei as Belcore. But that's a film from a live performance, and the picture quality is not very high, although the performance is of course extremely charming. For a modern video, I heartily recommend this staged performance from Lyon of Elisir with Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu.
Alagna and Gheorghiu in recent years have cut down their number of joint performances, and rumor has it that the husband and wife team are now separated in all but name. It's a shame, for this video shows what a great pair they could be. Of the twosome I respond more to Alagna -- his Nemorino is funny, sweet, adorably naive. His "Una furtiva lagrima" uses slightly different ornaments and cadenzas than the more "familiar" version. His voice can turn sharp on pressure, and like a lot of French tenors his voice has a metallic edge. It's a different sound than a Gigli or Pavarotti (to name two other famous Nemorinos). But Alagna sings with passion and he's one of the rare tenors who seems to have an instinctive way of shaping and phrasing the music to the better. Gheorghiu is a chillier, more cerebral singer. Her lyric voice is dusky and smoky, and she's not as perky and soubrette-ish as most Adinas. Yet somehow it seems to work.
The production is vaguely 1920-ish, but otherwise extremely traditional: Nemorino is still a sweet country bumpkin, Dulcamara a travelling quack, Belcore a blustery "studmuffin," and Adina the tart-tongued town flirt. Eveline Pido is one of today's underrated conductors: he understands ottocento operas as needing a firm incisive hand. No mindless oom-pah-pah stick beating from him.
I can't think of a drawback to this video. If you like Elisir, it's a definite keeper.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Gaetano Donizetti: L'Elisir d'Amore - Opera National de Lyon (1997)
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