Donizetti: L’elisir d’amore ***
Royal Opera House, 19th November 2014
Vittorio Grigolo (Nemorino)
© Mark Douet/Royal Opera
The cheap Bordeaux masquerading as Dulcamara’s ‘elixir’ seemed to have an intoxicating effect on more than Nemorino last night. Conductor Daniele Rustioni’s zippy tempi – whilst welcome – weren’t always executed cleanly by the orchestra in this revival of L’elisir d’amore. Pit and stage parted company several times, with ensembles threatening to come clean off the rails. Yet Laurent Pelly’s ‘giant haystacks’ production, updated to 1950s Italy, continues to charm audiences and rightly so.
Read the full review on Bachtrack.