Abstract
For the revival of Gaetano Donizetti’s classic comedy, L’elisir d’amore, one of the truly great specialists in the Italian operatic repertoire will be returning to the rostrum of the Philharmonia Zurich: Nello Santi, who has been closely linked to our theatre for decades. The young Ukrainian singer Olga Kulchynska, who celebrated a sensational success with her début at Zurich Opera House as Giulietta in Bellini’s Capuleti e Montecchi, will be singing the role of Adina for the first time. Her lover Nemorino will be performed by our ensemble member Pavol Breslik.
Nemorino – under the influence of the legend of Tristan and Isolde – believes that he can win over his beloved Adina with the help of a love potion, and spends his last farthing in the process. Although the elixir that the travelling quack doctor and charlatan Dulcamara sells to Nemorino is nothing more than a bottle of claret, after several twists and turns it is ultimately effective: Adina recognises the sincerity of Nemorino’s love and gives the swaggering Sergeant Belcore his marching orders. In setting Nemorino’s sincere love to music, Donizetti introduced a new tone to the opera buffa: the lyrical cantilena, which tells of despair and melancholy – nowhere as powerfully as in the now famous ballad entitled “Una furtiva lagrima”.