Glyndebournes L’elisir d’amore Review
Glyndebourne's
L'elisir d'amore
Regent Theatre, Stoke
Reviewed by Sean Davies
It was a wintery Wednesday night in Stoke-on-Trent – so cold in fact that the walk to the Regent Theatre left my fingers numb and my breath visible in the chilled night air. The trudge through the dark was more than worth it though as those that braved the cold were about to be treated to a feast for the senses with a wondrous re-imagining of Donizetti'sL'elisir D'amore by Glyndebourne.
L'elisir D'amore, which translated means The Elixir of Love, is an 18th century romantic comedy and is one of Donizetti's most popular operas. Originally set in the 1800's, the Glyndebourne group have modernised the setting to a little village in 1950's Italy where a cruel love triangle develops between 3 very charismatic and relatable characters. Firstly, Nemorino, a pauper who is hopelessly in love with the unobtainable Adina, a beautiful and fickle well-to-do lady from the village. We join the story as an exasperated Adina, who has rebuffed Nemorino's advances many times before, is shunning his affections once again. However, it is not long before the third point of the love triangle joins the fray in the form of the suave and confident army Sergeant Belcore. Belcore instantly steals Adina's heart with his charm and an impromptu marriage proposal and Nemorino jealousy only fuels Adina's advances towards the sergeant. In steps the travelling conman Dr Dulcamara who provides an answer to Nomorino’s prayers in the form of an Elixir of Love (which in actual fact is nothing but wine) which he can use to win Adina’s heart back from Nemorino. From here, the story sways from heart-warming to heart breaking at whim as Adina, Nemorino and Belcore's affections ebb and flow between one another with more twists in its tale than your average roller coaster and is guaranteed to make you smile.
The entire Glyndebourne cast put in a world class and often spine tingling performance, seamlessly moving from emotion to emotion. Christopher Tiesi put in a great performance as Nemorino on his Glyndebourne debut, with a beautifully strong voice and even though he was occasionally lost in the ensemble pieces, his wonderful performance of the "Una furtiva lagrima" aria was a particular highlight of the night. Alessandro Novaro was masterful in his portrayal of Belcore, his voice commanding and driven, channelling a military feel into every note. The stand out performance of the night though was by Eliana Pretorian who played Adina. She was pitch perfect throughout and the characters emotion was plane to see on her face and felt in every word she sang. A truly excellent performance. Gareth Hancock conducts the proceedings with ease, making it look effortless and the orchestra match his enthusiasm by playing their heart out. Too put it bluntly, Glyndebourne have put together a cast which performs L'elisir D'amore as good as any I have seen, if not better. From the technically brilliant singing to the light hearted humour provided by Riccardo Novaro (who played Dr Dulcamara) and James Bellorini (the Drs assistant) who both threaten to steal the show with their antics, the entire cast provide an opera experience worth every penny.
L'elise D'amore has a unique characteristic in that opera veterans and novices can both enjoy it. The entire performance is executed with so much emotive charm and excellent staging that even without the words being provided in supertitles above the stage, it is plain to see what is happening on stage for non-Italian speakers. The comedic relief and occasional use of pyrotechnics and props mean that the story is not too heavy and will amuse anyone while the pacing allows time for the more heart wrenching moments to be appreciated by the more frequent opera-goer.
Glyndebourne are set to perform L'elisir d'amore again at the Regent Theatre on the 14th December. Cancel all of your plans, book your tickets here and wrap up warm. I cannot recommend this performance highly enough.
Rating: 5/5 
Showing at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent until Saturday 14 December 2013.
Tickets cost from £20.90 to £58.90 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
For more information or to book tickets click here.
