L’elisir d’amore

L’elisir d’amore was by far my favorite performance that we have attended thus far. The primary reason for this is that it was entertaining—providing all of the action and intrigue of a well-crafted musical, despite my own personal assumption that as an opera it would put me to sleep. Much of the entertainment value came from the fact that the opera was humorous; with Dulcamara as the supposedly all-knowing charlatan who fools the naïve townspeople in numerous scenes and ultimately cons himself into believing the wondrous merits of his elixir, this story legitimately had me laughing out loud.

Additionally, many of the potential hindrances to my enjoyment that I foresaw prior to actually attending the performance proved insignificant at the performance itself. I expected—given that our seats were literally as far away from the stage as possible—that it would be difficult to hear the performers. However, the acoustics in the Metropolitan Opera were such that the clarity with which I was able to hear everything that occurred was remarkable. Moreover, I was afraid that the language barrier would serve to limit the extent to which I would be able to appreciate the story that was unfurling. On the contrary, though, by glancing at the monitor displaying the translation quickly before each line I was able to understand fully that which occurred without breaking my focus on the opera itself.

The next factor that allowed me to thoroughly appreciate this performance was the superb execution by the performers coupled with the scenery which in my opinion was extremely effective in setting the proper mood for the story. Matthew Polenzani, portraying the protagonist, Nemorino, not only had the powerful, emotional voice expected of anyone in the lead role of a major production but was precise in his every note and action throughout the performance. Moreover, Anna Netrebko (though I personally believe has a voice more suited for Giannetta given that it did not seem youthful enough to portray Adina) was flawless in her performance and therefore deserves similar praise. Despite this, the show was clearly stolen by Erwin Schrott as Dulcamara, who provided the aforementioned jolt of humor with the thunderous, authoritative voice required of his role. The setting, while seemingly evincing a feeling of one-dimensionality according to many in the class, in my opinion provided a significant feeling of depth, utilizing the available space as well as I think was feasible.

Finally, I feel the atmosphere of the Metropolitan Opera itself supplemented my appreciation of this experience due to its beauty and seemingly aristocratic peopling. The venue itself, with several ostentatious yet elegant chandeliers

(as well as six ounce, five dollar coffees), forced me into a refined state of mind; while this may not seem beneficial, it allowed me to appreciate the show before the show which was the attitude and appearance of the opera-goers. All tuxedo-clad or showing off their most elegant dresses, these cosmopolites represent a class perfectly ‘suited’ for flanerie.