L’elisir d’amore

Set in an idyllic vision of a southern Italian village square, this delightful opera tells of the romantic rivalry between the penniless Nemorino and the bumptious Sergeant Belcore (for the love of the beautiful, bookish Adina, whose reading of the tale of <i>Tristan and Isolde</i> makes poor, lovesick, Nemorino think that the wonder-working Dr. Dulcamara might have just the potion his heart requires.

Witty, charming and ultimately deeply touching, this is Italian opera at its intoxicating best. The score bubbles over with high spirits, the action is genuinely funny and though, as in all the best comedies, the laughter is occasionally tinged with tears, true love eventually wins the day – all thanks to a bottle or two of Bordeaux.