Gaetano Donizetti completed his 40th opera within a mere fortnight. The piece premiered to great acclaim in 1832 at the Teatro alla Canobbiana in Milan.
Essentially depicting a story of quackery seasoned with a love plot, the music draws considerably upon the Italian folk song tradition. Telling the simple tale of Nemorino, a naïve peasant who falls in love with Adina, a wealthy landowner, and strives to win her heart by means of a miraculous potion (in fact just cheap red wine), Donizetti created one of the most sparkling comic operas of all, one abounding in splendid gags and tender melodies. What is more, within a few bars the composer managed to perfectly outline situations and aptly render human characters: the cunning itinerant swindler Dulcamara, who sells such cure-alls as a rejuvenation remedy and love concoction; the bragging sergeant Belcore; the self-confident belle Adina; and the diffident Nemorino.
Noteworthy is the fact that in May 1904 Prague welcomed Enrico Caruso, the most celebrated tenor of all time, who dazzled as Nemorino at the Neues deutsches Theater (today State Opera).
Our new production was created by the German stage director Julia Burbach, nominated in 2019 for the “Best Newcomer” prize in the prestigious International Opera Awards poll.
Tickets available at the National Theatre website.