January 11, 2013

Gaetano Donizetti: The Elixir of Love
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden  
Royal Opera Orchestra and Chorus 
Bruno Campanella, conductor

CAST: Aleksandra Kurzak (Adina); Roberto Alagna (Nemorino); Fabio Capitanucci (Belcore); Ambrogio Maestri (Dr. Dulcamara); Susana Gaspar (Gianetta)

There's not a lot to be taken seriously in this comic romp by Donizetti -- unless, of course, you count the music! It's some of Donizetti's finest, and takes the opera beyond the world of farce to a place where simple confidence leads to life-changing revelations.