The Arts in New York City
This past Wednesday, my Macaulay seminar class went to see L’Elisir d’Amore, a comic opera by Gaetano Donizetti. Set in 19th Century Italy, the opera tells the tale of villager Nemorino’s quest for Adina, a rich and beautiful farm owner, in the midst of a very busy “tourist” season. Such “tourists” include Sergeant Belcore (akin to Disney’s Gaston), his soldiers, and the conman Dulcamara. Along with the villagers, this colourful cast sings through many a plot twist to spin a fun, clever story.
My favorite aspect of the opera’s plot was its interwoven structure; events in the show fed into each other, even if sometimes it became a bit too coincidental. For example, Adina mentions that Nemorino has a sick uncle, who might not leave Nemorino an inheritance if the he does not visit him. Later in the opera, the uncle dies and leaves Nemorino a fortune; the plot has continuity! Yes! This event feeds into a humorous misunderstanding involving the village maidens and a “love potion”, but I won’t spoil too much for you.
Belcore’s name was also interesting for me. At first, it sounded to me like “Belle cuore”, roughly translating to “beautiful heart.” It seemed like an irony Donizetti might include; Belcore is a handsome man but is obnoxious and shallow. Then my professor pointed out the relation to “Belcore” and “bellicose” (“warlike in nature; aggressive, hostile” – ninjawords.com). Belcore is an aggressive character, as seen by his arrogant pursuit of Adina and in his career in the military. ”There isn’t a beauty who can resist the sight of a plume. In the end, the mother of Love submitted to Mars, the warrior god,” he sings in “Come Paride vezzoso”. (Don’t you just love the mythology reference?!)
The opera’s story was great; the experience of going to the opera was equally amazing. The Metropolitan Opera – the “Met” – must be one of the classiest locations in New York City. Brilliant chandeliers drawn up as the performance began; lush red carpeting… everywhere; an enormous lake of people wearing tuxedoes and eye-catching dresses and even kimonos! It is gorgeous. Outside, Lincoln Center adds to the atmosphere, with a glowing fountain that echoes the appearance of the chandelier, a rectangular “wishing well”, and – my favorite – the grass steps.
The sound in row K of the family circus – a.k.a. the seats three feet from the ceiling – was rich and full. Even though we were really far away, we could hear every note, every trill… it was great. The singers were… wow. Just wow. Go and see it. They made music-pasta (or paper towels) with their voices (a reference to any readers who had Mrs. Nolemi). Also, even though the facial expressions were lost on us, the large gestures conveyed a lot of meaning, so kudos to the director! The costumes helped, as well; for instance, Adina’s red skirt and top hat (oh goodness! The top hat! So glorious!) helped identify characters regardless of distance.
So if you’re looking for something fancy and fun to see this season, I do recommend Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. And don’t worry about not understanding Italian; the back of the seats have subtitles.
P.S. – What did my fellow opera goers think of the performance?
Links:
Synopsis: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=436
Tickets/Info: http://www.metoperafamily.org/opera/elisir-amore-donizetti-tickets.aspx
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Trying not to fall asleep and not worry about my chemistry midterm the next day may have possibly hindered me from enjoying the play in all of its glory.
However, I do agree with many parts of this review. The humorous aspects of the play defnitely have something to do with all those random “deus ex machina” scenes such as the death of Nemorino’s uncle and the wealth he leaves behind. I also agree with the gestures showed by the actors and how they all add to the feeling of the play. However, i do wish the faces were visible. I think they would have added another dimension to our thoughts of the play. And wouldn’t it be awesome to see all the props in all of their entirety. Furthermore, I appreciate your elaboration of the experience itself besides just the review of the play. I wonder what you thought of the audience themselves. Can you see yourself as one of the members of row A? Haha, just a thought!
And shoutout to the subtitles!
Wow! This is a really insightful interpretation of the L’Elisir d’Amore. I completely agree that the play did have a very noticeable and very coincidental structure, however it was very interesting to see how the events unfolded like you said. Your take on the name of Belcore was very interesting. I didn’t noticed that, but now looking back on it, it just feeds into the simplicity of the play. Also, although we could literally touch the ceiling the acoustics of the establishment were fantastic to go along with the fanciness of the rest of the viewers. Lastly, you also made a really good point on the attire of the actors. The standout red color (although not in this theatre lined with red carpet at every inch) really helped distinguish Adina for viewers that is very far away like us. The singing, acting and gestures were fantastic and overall I really enjoyed the performance.