L’elisir d’amore

Mariinsky Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, Russia

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7 PM

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Important Info

Festival: Stars of the White Nights Festival

Type: Opera

City: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Starts at: 19:00

Acts: 2

Intervals: 1

Duration: 2h 30min

Sung in: Italian

Titles in: Russian

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

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You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Cast

Performers

Orchestra: Mariinsky Orchestra

Chorus: Mariinsky Chorus

Creators

Composer: Gaetano Donizetti

Music Director: Valery Gergiev

Stage Director: Alexander Petrov

Lighting Designer: Alexei Tarasov

Librettist: Eugène Scribe

Librettist: Felice Romani

Production Designer: Vladimir Firer

Festival

Stars of the White Nights Festival

"Stars of the White Nights": bright events of the big summer festival in the Mariinsky.

Overview

Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore (1832) bears the description of a melodramma giocoso. These words brilliantly convey the spirit of the work. The orchestral prelude depicts a pastoral idyll which is destroyed by the sudden arrival of some unseen and fateful power – the composer’s joke, of course.

In L’elisir d’amore everyone is happy from start to finish with the exception of the tenor, but then tenors are supposed to suffer. The more so, as it will all soon come to an end. In a true idyll even a rich old uncle will die on time in order to make his nephew a rich young groom. And in the finale the sorcerer Dulcamara, on witnessing the general and universal happiness, in his own eyes becomes the noblest of men. Village naivety comprises some of the opera’s charm. Only the simple Nemorino could so believe in the power of his magic potion, and his love and faith transform everyday Bordeaux into a medical elixir.

L’elisir d’amore is a masterpiece that contains everything it should and in which there is nothing superfluous. There are just five characters, the choruses are laconic (as the peasants basically actively and readily assent to the protagonists) and there are recitatives to piano accompaniment in the old style, though there are very few of these rudiments left.
The plot unfolds at speed. A platoon of soldiers arrives in a sleepy village, followed by Dulcamara, a purveyor of miraculous elixirs (it would appear he is not just a doctor but also something of a sorcerer as his arrival is heralded by fantastical chords). Perhaps Donizetti was taking a risk in beginning the opera with four (!) cavatinas (opening arias). One after another all four protagonists are presented to the audience – Nemorino, Adina, Belcore and Dulcamara – but what occurs in no way resembles a dazzling “concert in costumes”. Each cavatina grows into an ensemble with chorus, augmented by stage effects, and in L’elisir Donizetti’s melodious inspiration swells so generously, the romantic bel canto so passionately and the coloratura so magnificent and ecstatic that the flow of the music blends with the flow of the plot and is so gripping that you can forget time itself. Then the opera takes on an uninterrupted crescendo: a duet, a terzetto and then a quartet with chorus…
Written with an easy heart, L’elisir d’amore received a warm welcome at the premiere and quickly entered the repertoires of many theatres. Today L’elisir retains its former popularity, possibly because the romantic composers did not bequeath us many comedies.
Anna Bulycheva

History

Premiere of this production: 12 May 1832, Teatro della Canobbiana, Milan

L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love) is a comic opera (melodramma giocoso) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's Le philtre (1831). The opera premiered on 12 May 1832 at the Teatro della Canobbiana in Milan.

Synopsis

Act I
The poor and bashful Nemorino is hopelessly in love with the rich and beautiful Adina. He hears her reading aloud the legend of Tristan, who has won the heart of Queen Isolde using a magic love potion. While Nemorino is dreaming about this magic potion, soldiers under the command of Sergeant Belcore enter the village. Adina immediately attracts the brave warrior's attention. He does not plan to hang around long: let Adina name the wedding day immediately! And yet the girl dislikes the sergeant's self-assurance. She cunningly and coquettishly spurns the advances of her unlucky admirer. Seizing the moment, once everyone has left, the unhappy Nemorino hastens to declare his love for Adina, but the mischievous imp tells him that faithful and constant love is not for her.

The itinerant medicine man Dulcamara, a charlatan and scoundrel, arrives in the village. The sales of "miracle-balsams" are well underway. The unfortunate Nemorino, too, turns to him for help: "Do you not have Isolde's love potion?" Pleased to be addressing such a simple fellow, Dulcamara gives the youth a bottle of everyday Bordeaux and promises that the "elixir" will act within a day, calculating the amount of time he needs to get far away from the place. Nemorino's impatience is so great that he immediately drains the bottle of its "elixir of love". He believes that the potion is having an immediate effect. Confident that Adina will soon fall in love with him, Nemorino feigns coldness. Such novel and unexpected behaviour from her admirer wounds the girl's pride. The arrival of the sergeant gives her a hint as to how she can repay Nemorino. She promises her hand to Belcore. Suddenly the sergeant receives the order to abandon the village. Adina agrees to hold the wedding that very day. Nemorino's head is instantly cleared of tipsiness. Understanding that he is losing his love forever, the luckless youth begs her to postpone the wedding at least until the next day.

Act II
Preparations for the wedding are underway, and the guests are drinking and having fun. Dulcamara asks Adina to sing a new song for two voices with him – a barcarolle about a senator and a boatwoman. Reeling at the news that the notary has appeared, Nemorino begs the doctor to save him – to make the people fall in love with him before the next day arrives. Naturally, the charlatan recommends that the youth purchase another bottle of the elixir – to increase the potency of the drink. In order to earn money and acquire his next dose of the potion, Nemorino becomes a recruit in Belcore's regiment. Holding the precious coins in his hands, he hastens off to find Dulcamara.

News unexpectedly flies around the village: Nemorino's uncle has died in the city, leaving him his entire fortune. Only Nemorino, emboldened by the second portion of the doctor's "elixir of love", is unaware of these events. Dulcamara guarantees that this time the drug will definitely work, and the lad is filled with the most glittering expectations. On his way, indeed, the first girl to meet him – Giannetta – pays heightened attention to him because now he is a rich single man. Dulcamara is amazed. It would appear that the contents of the bottle truly are magic. Adina witnesses Nemorino's unprecedented success with the ladies and learns that he has joined up to be a soldier to win her heart. Dulcamara, seeing Adina's jealousy, offers her his elixir of love. But the beauty has no need of the sorcerer's services, she having an elixir no less powrful than his: "The recipe is written on my face, the potion in these eyes".

Nemorino's drunkenness has passed, and again he laments Adina. The tear of offence in her eyes tells him that he, too, is loved. At the same time, Adina purchases the recruit list from Belcore. She hands the contract to Nemorino, persuading him not to leave his home village. The youth is disappointed: he had expected a declaration of love. "As no-one loves me, I'd rather die a soldier!" he exclaims. The perturbed Adina at last opens her heart and falls into the arms of her beloved. Belcore is by no means dejected: there are many more women on the face of the earth. Dulcamara is inspired by the success of his curative drink.

Place: A small village in the Basque Country
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 Tristan and Isolde, 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 (although, Adina meanwhile secretly derides Belcore's complacency) and, alone with Adina, reveals his love for her. Yet Adina rebuffs him, saying she wants a different lover every day and following her example would do Nemorino better. Nemorino declares that his feelings will never change. The travelling 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. Despite failing to recognise the name "Isolde", Dulcamara's commercial talents nevertheless enable him to sell a bottle of the cure-all – in reality only cheap wine – to Nemorino, withdrawing all his savings.

To make a safe escape, Dulcamara tells Nemorino the potion needs 24 hours to take effect – by which time, the doctor will be long gone. Nemorino drinks the potion in a haste in order to watch the effect tomorrow. Emboldened by the "elixir" (in fact, drunk), Nemorino feigns indifference when he encounters Adina, as he expects that the elixir will facilitate his conquest of Adina the following day. She becomes increasingly annoyed; perhaps she has feelings for Nemorino after all? Belcore returns and proposes marriage to Adina. Still riled by Nemorino and wishing to give him a lesson, Adina falsely promises to marry Belcore in six days' time. Yet Nemorino only laughs in response: such confidence is sustained in the belief in the magic potion. However, when Belcore learns that his regiment must leave the next morning, Adina promises to marry him before his departure. This of course panics Nemorino, who 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 encourages 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, for the whole deal has been intended only to punish him. While everyone goes to witness the signing of the wedding contract, Dulcamara stays behind, helping himself to food and drink. Having seen the notary, Nemorino appears, depressed, as he believes that he has lost Adina. He sees Dulcamara and frantically begs him for a more powerful, faster-acting elixir. Although Dulcamara is proud to boast of his philanthropy, upon discovering that Nemorino now has no money he changes his tune and marches off, refusing to supply him anything. Belcore emerges, musing about why Adina has suddenly put off the wedding and signing of the contract. He spots Nemorino and asks his rival why he is depressed. When Nemorino says he needs cash, Belcore suggests joining the army, as he'll receive funds on the spot. Belcore tries to excite Nemorino with tales of military life, while Nemorino only thinks of getting the potion and thus winning Adina, if only for a day before departure. Belcore produces a contract, which Nemorino signs in return for the money. Nemorino privately vows to rush and buy more potion, while Belcore muses about how sending Nemorino off to war has so easily dispatched his rival.

After the two men have left, Giannetta gossips with the women of the village. Swearing them all to secrecy, she reveals that Nemorino's uncle has just died and left his nephew a large fortune. However, neither Nemorino nor Adina is yet aware of this. Nemorino enters, having spent his military signing bonus on – and consumed – a large amount of the fake elixir from Dr. Dulcamara. Hoping to share his fortune, the women approach Nemorino with overly friendly greetings. So out of character is this that Nemorino takes it as proof of the elixir's efficacy. Adina sees Nemorino with the women, is rattled by his newfound popularity, and asks Dr. Dulcamara for an explanation. Unaware that Adina is the object of Nemorino's affection, Dulcamara explains that Nemorino 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 recognises Nemorino's sincerity, regrets her behaviour and realises that she has loved Nemorino all along. Although Dulcamara seizes the opportunity to try to sell her some of his potion to win back Nemorino, 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. Solely based on that, he convinces himself that Adina loves him. She enters and asks why he has chosen to join the army and leave the village. When Nemorino explains that he was seeking a better life, Adina responds that he is loved and that she has purchased back 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, which he does with a kiss. Belcore returns to see Nemorino and Adina in an embrace. When Adina explains that she loves Nemorino, the Sergeant takes the news in stride, noting that there are plenty of other women in the world. Adina and Nemorino learn about the inheritance from his uncle. Dulcamara returns and boasts of the success of his elixir: Nemorino is now not only loved but also rich. He exults in the boost this will bring to the sales of his product. As he prepares to leave, everyone queues up to buy the elixir and hails Dulcamara as a great physician.

Venue Info

Mariinsky Theatre - Saint Petersburg
1 Theatre Square

The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. Through most of the Soviet era, it was known as the Kirov Theatre. Today, the Mariinsky Theatre is home to the Mariinsky Ballet, Mariinsky Opera and Mariinsky Orchestra. Since Yuri Temirkanov's retirement in 1988, the conductor Valery Gergiev has served as the theatre's general director.

The theatre is named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Tsar Alexander II. There is a bust of the Empress in the main entrance foyer. The theatre's name has changed throughout its history, reflecting the political climate of the time.

The theatre building is commonly called the Mariinsky Theatre. The companies that operate within it have for brand recognition purposes retained the Kirov name, acquired during the Soviet era to commemorate the assassinated Leningrad Communist Party leader Sergey Kirov (1886–1934).

The Imperial drama, opera and ballet troupe in Saint Petersburg was established in 1783, at the behest of Catherine the Great, although an Italian ballet troupe had performed at the Russian court since the early 18th century. Originally, the ballet and opera performances were given in the wooden Karl Knipper Theatre on Tsaritsa Meadow, near the present-day Tripartite Bridge (also known as the Little Theatre or the Maly Theatre). The Hermitage Theatre, next door to the Winter Palace, was used to host performances for an elite audience of aristocratic guests invited by the Empress.

A permanent theatre building for the new company of opera and ballet artists was designed by Antonio Rinaldi and opened in 1783. Known as the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre the structure was situated on Carousel Square, which was renamed Theatre Square in honour of the building. Both names – "Kamenny" (Russian word for "stone") and "Bolshoi" (Russian word for "big") – were coined to distinguish it from the wooden Little Theatre. In 1836, the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre was renovated to a design by Albert Cavos (son of Catterino Cavos, an opera composer), and served as the principal theatre of the Imperial Ballet and opera.

On 29 January 1849, the Equestrian circus (Конный цирк) opened on Theatre Square. This was also the work of the architect Cavos. The building was designed to double as a theatre. It was a wooden structure in the then-fashionable neo-Byzantine style. Ten years later, when this circus burnt down, Albert Cavos rebuilt it as an opera and ballet house with the largest stage in the world. With a seating capacity of 1,625 and a U-shaped Italian-style auditorium, the theatre opened on 2 October 1860, with a performance of A Life for the Tsar. The new theatre was named Mariinsky after its imperial patroness, Empress Maria Alexandrovna.

Under Yuri Temirkanov, Principal Conductor from 1976 to 1988, the Opera Company continued to stage innovative productions of both modern and classic Russian operas. Although functioning separately from the Theatre’s Ballet Company, since 1988 both companies have been under the artistic leadership of Valery Gergiev as Artistic Director of the entire Theatre.

The Opera Company has entered a new era of artistic excellence and creativity. Since 1993, Gergiev’s impact on opera there has been enormous. Firstly, he reorganized the company’s operations and established links with many of the world's great opera houses, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, the Opéra Bastille, La Scala, La Fenice, the Israeli Opera, the Washington National Opera and the San Francisco Opera. Today, the Opera Company regularly tours to most of these cities.

Gergiev has also been innovative as far as Russian opera is concerned: in 1989, there was an all-Mussorgsky festival featuring the composer’s entire operatic output. Similarly, many of Prokofiev’s operas were presented from the late 1990s. Operas by non-Russian composers began to be performed in their original languages, which helped the Opera Company to incorporate world trends. The annual international "Stars of the White Nights Festival" in Saint Petersburg, started by Gergiev in 1993, has also put the Mariinsky on the world’s cultural map. That year, as a salute to the imperial origins of the Mariinsky, Verdi's La forza del destino, which received its premiere in Saint Petersburg in 1862, was produced with its original sets, costumes and scenery. Since then, it has become a characteristic of the "White Nights Festival" to present the premieres from the company’s upcoming season during this magical period, when the hours of darkness practically disappear as the summer solstice approaches.

Presently, the Company lists on its roster 22 sopranos (of whom Anna Netrebko may be the best known); 13 mezzo-sopranos (with Olga Borodina familiar to US and European audiences); 23 tenors; eight baritones; and 14 basses. With Gergiev in charge overall, there is a Head of Stage Administration, a Stage Director, Stage Managers and Assistants, along with 14 accompanists.