I love Naxos’ pithy summary of the plot of Donizetti’s much-loved opera:
Country boy Nemorino is determined to win the haughty Adina’s heart, but she refuses to give him the time of day. Can Doctor Dulcamara’s so-called ‘elixir of love’ work its magic?
Here’s the details:
Production:
Director and Costume Designer – Laurent Pelly
Set designer – Chantal Thomas
Lighting designer -Joël Adam
Revival director – Paul Higgins
Associate Costume designer – Donate Matchand
Chorus director – William Spaulding
Cast:
Adina – Nadine Sierra
Nemorino – Liparit Avetisyan
Belcore – Boris Pinkhasovich
Doctor Dulcamara – Sir Bryn Terfel
Giannetta – Sarah Dufresne
It is interesting watching this on Bluray as opposed to being in the theatre itself – the camel angles actually make Pelly’s conception more successful. The colour scheme works better, and glimpses of he darkness visible behind the set emphasise the stage ‘framing’. The director is Laurent Pelly, whose La filled du régiment is so cherishable (review), and while in the theatre it was Fille that seemed to be the clear winner, on video, curiously, honours ae more evenly split. There are nice touches, too, in this new production – a dog runs from one end of the stage to the other on occasion, for example.
In Pelly’s tractor-meets-trattoria production, we seem to be in the Italy of a 1950’s Fellini film. Thee’s also a lorry, stuffed with bottles of Dulcamara’s elixir. A massive haystack provides multi-level japery in the opening scenes and enables a nice spatial separation between Adina (Nadine Sierra) and the superb ROH Chous. As she moves to stage level (and in front of the chorus) it is Nemorino (tenor Liparit Avetisyan) who moans the hay, teh distance between them ever apparent: Adina the Unobtainable. At least, until Dulcamara’s “elixir” (it’s wine, if you didn’t already now) weaves its magic.The lighting, by Joël Adam, is wonderful throughout.
It is nice that in the scene changes the video keep us busy: close-ups of the posters for Dulcamar’s elixir as we move from haystacks to trattoria, for example.
There were a couple of notable house debuts: first. the conductor, Sesto Quatrini, Artistic Director at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet from 2016-23; he was also assistant to Fabio Luisi at the Met in New York and at the Festival della Valle d’Itria (at the latter, he made his Italian opera debut with Verdi’s Un giorno di regno). His one recording appears to be of Nicola Vaccaj’s Giulietta et Romeo, a world premiere on video but also available in sound formats, from La Scala. In that recording, Quatrini marshals his forces with sensitivity and a fine sense of lightness and pacing. The same qualities shone through his Donizetti, the orchestra beautifully transparent, and you can hear this in the DVD also.
One thing that does not completely carry across is Quatrini’s full understanding of Donizetti’s orchestrational practices. When I reviewed this initially, I praise this and said this is “by no means a given in this opera – it can too easily sound bass-light and insubstantial”. The problem is that in the DVD/bluray reproduction, they do.. One thing that it can’t change, though, s how the Royal Opera House orchestra reacted to Quatrini with some of their finest playing.
The other debutante was the internationally renowned soprano Nadine Sierra. Covent Garden has therefore been a notable omission to her portfolio of international opera houses; and what a way to right the situation. Sierra is perfect for the part – her voice shining up top and yet she has the necessary lower register. She exudes an infectious energy onstage and is absolutely believably the popular yet innocent beauty of the village. Her voice has all the agility Donizetti asks for, too, yet it was in the more lyrical passages she impressed the most.
As Nemorino, the farm worker wannabe lover, Liparit Avetisyan comes across well on the bluray. He was the Nemorino in 2017, where it was posited that there was a star in the making. His ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ is nicely done. Boris Pinkhasovich made more of an impression as the sergeant, Belcore, confident (as indeed he should be) and strong of voice, although seeing him in close-up on screen finds his acting a trifle waning.
Lovely to see Sir Bryn Terfel as Dulcamara. The last time I saw him was at the Lerici Music Festival, Italy, in 2022 in excerpts from his signature role, the titular character in Verdi’s Falstaff. It was a magical occasion in all respects. On the occasion I saw him live, he felt a touch out of sorts as the first night Dulcamara here at Covent Garden, however, his voice less distinctive, the whole just slightly unsettled. All of the comedic walks and actions were there, but a layer of Byrn-ness was missing throughout. The slim documenation for this Opus Arte release is very coy on deal, but I main this was then from late in the run – it would be too daring to have cameras a first night )and I don’t remember them, to be honest), and his opening sally of “Udite, unite, o rustici” has all the authority one could want. And henceforth, Tefrel owns the stage. Here he is in just that passage, but form a previous incarnation of Pelly’s production at Covent Garden:
It is good to end on a high, though, and Sarah Dufresne provides that in her assumption of the small role of Giannetta. At the time she was a Jette Parker Artist currently and, although she has appeared in other smaller (and some larger) roles. Whether as Tusnelda in Handel’s Arminio with the Early Opera Company, as the Shepherd Boy in Tannhäuser, as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, or as a radiant Voice from Heaven in Don Carlo, she never fails to impress. Papagena (review here) was a great step forwards. Her Giannetta was an absolute delight, vocally perfect, on the night her clarion voice projecting perfectly to the back of the auditorium (then heard from the Stalls Circle), and making a fine account of herself here. The chorus was everything one could wish for.
For all of Pelly’s cleverness, it was a production with a budget that tended towards zero, reduced orchestra and in English translation, but with a plethora of young singers bursting with talent and headed by Galina Averina’s Adina, that shines brighter. This was touring production from Wild Arts (heard by myself at the Thaxted Festival), and it seemed to capture the spirit and invention of Donizetti’s masterpiece far more accurately than Pelly’s attempt (available at the Gramophone website). Also, ENO’s recent L’elisir offered the finer dramatic experience compared to Covent Garden.
A somewhat mixed evening at the Royal Opera, therefore, but a curious case also of the recorded event eclipsing the live. For me, at last.
The Bluray is currently 13% off at Amazon here; the DVD is offered at a similar discount here.
