L'elisir d'amore

Gaetano Donizetti

Gaetano Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore is a perennial favourite among comic operas. And no wonder: it is a happy blend of the mishaps of lovesick characters and suave Italian melodies.

Nemorino, a bumbling peasant farmer, longs for the lovely Adina. She is also the target for the affections of Sergeant Belcore, who succeeds in bringing Adina as far as the marriage ceremony. But as always in a love triangle plot, Nemorino intervenes. He is emboldened by a magical love potion - or so he thinks, because what he was actually sold is a bottle of quite ordinary Bordeaux wine.

"I did not remember that the FNO's production of L'elisir d'amore is so much fun and so engrossing (-)."
- Helsingin Sanomat, V. M.