L'elisir d'amore

  • 2012/2013 Season
  • Gaetano Donizetti : L'elisir d'amore
    Opera in 2 Acts
    Sung in Italian with Japanese Supertitles
  • OPERA HOUSE

  • PERFORMANCES

    2013
    Jan.31Feb.36912
    ThuSunWedSatTue
    7:00
         		2:00
    *    		7:00
    *    		2:00
    *    		2:00
     

"There are those who insist that the starting point of opera is to be found in Italian opera. And that opera should be, above all, a feast of voices," says Artistic Director Otaka Tadaaki. In selecting the lineup for our third season under Mr. Tadaaki, we made sure to look not just to the ever-popular Verdi and Puccini, but also those other composers who have left behind a legacy of glorious music. Gaetano Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love) is one of the signature works of bel canto opera - "bel canto" being Italian for "beautiful singing". Donizetti ranks with Rossini and Bellini among the key composers of Italian opera, and one cannot talk about Verdi and Puccini without discussing Donizetti. We will be performing the Cesare Lievi production, which premiered in 2009. L'elisir d'amore presents the tale of Nemorino, a young man who realizes that he is in love with the beautiful Adina after hearing the romantic legend of Tristan and Isolde, and the struggles they face. The scenery includes a colossal book that is some nine meters tall and a small plane built to actual size. The production has been praised for its playfulness and sharp psychological portraiture. In the role of Nemorino will be Antonino Siragusa, who drew raves for his performance in the 2009 production of La Cenerentola (Cinderella). Adina will be sung by Nicole Cabell, a fast-rising star noted for her creamy voice. Ms. Cabell is also slated to perform the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni in April 2012. Narita Hiroyuki, who gave a winning performance in the opera when it was staged as part of the NNTT's Educational Programme for High School Students (Kansai production), will reprise his role as Belcore. Artistic Director Otaka Tadaaki performed the work numerous times with the late tenor Igarashi Kiyoshi, who also served as the NNTT Opera's second artistic director. Mr. Otaka has said that Igarashi's performance of the aria "Una furtiva lagrima / A furtive tear" left an indelible impression on people's hearts, and that this a work which holds special memories for him.

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