A professional choir in Anyang, a city near Beijing, staged Gaetano Donizetti’s comic opera “L’elisir d’amore” in Italian with a traditional production that left the story unchanged, earning an enthusiastic review from a classical music blogger who watched a video recording of the performance, tamino-klassikforum.at reported.
The blogger, who described the staging as “superb,” wrote that the production did not attempt to disguise the Asian setting of the characters and that the story played out directly and convincingly on stage.
How the Anyang Performance Unfolded
The performance, captured in a YouTube clip of a full staging in Anyang, featured a professional chorus and was sung entirely in Italian, according to tamino-klassikforum.at. The blogger singled out two roles: Dr. Dulcamara, the traveling quack who sells the “love potion,” and Nemorino, the lovestruck peasant. The blogger wrote that the charlatan was brought to the stage in China with comic precision, and that Nemorino came across as a lovable, desperate, clumsy fellow who nonetheless moved skillfully across the stage.
The blogger specifically praised Nemorino’s rendition of the famous aria “Una furtiva lagrima” in Act II, sung quietly and desperately in the moonlight by the well, saying it moved them to tears — a reaction the blogger noted is unusual for them with opera.
Beijing’s September 2011 Run at the NCPA
The same opera was also presented in Beijing at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Opera House from September 10 to 13, 2011, according to beijing.english.china.org.cn. Ticket prices for that run ranged from 100 to 680 yuan, with booking available by phone.
The Opera Behind the Production
“L’elisir d’amore” premiered in Milan on May 12, 1832, and is one of the most popular works by Gaetano Donizetti, the prolific Italian composer who wrote more than 70 operas during his 30-year career, beijing.english.china.org.cn reported. The opera tells the story of Adina, a wealthy landlady who loves the timid peasant Nemorino, and of how a bottle of cheap French red wine sold by Dulcamara as a “love elixir” sets the plot in motion — Nemorino enlists in the army to buy a second bottle, and Adina ultimately buys back his enlistment papers and falls into his arms.
Donizetti, who along with Vincenzo Bellini dominated the Italian opera scene in the 19th century, was noted for his dramatic strength and carefully considered orchestration. In “Una furtiva lagrima,” for example, he has the bassoon lead the aria over a harp accompaniment, according to beijing.english.china.org.cn.
Questions Readers Ask About the Opera and the Chinese Production
When and where did “L’elisir d’amore” premiere?
The opera premiered in Milan on May 12, 1832, according to beijing.english.china.org.cn.
Where did the Chinese performances take place?
One staging was performed by a professional choir in Anyang, near Beijing, and another run played at the NCPA Opera House in Beijing from September 10 to 13, 2011.
What language was the Anyang performance sung in?
The Anyang production was sung in Italian, tamino-klassikforum.at reported.
The blogger concluded that no hidden agendas or directorial flourishes were at work in the Anyang staging: an old story was simply told the way it was originally written — and, in the blogger’s words, they were splendidly entertained.