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| What to ExpEct from l’Elis ir d’AmorE

The Work L’ELisir d’AmorE

an opera in two acts, sung in Italian

music by Gaetano Donizetti

(1797–1848)

Libretto by felice romani

first performed on may 12, 1832 at

the teatro canobbiana, milan, Italy

producTion

maurizio Benini, conductor

Bartlett Sher, production

michael Yeargan, Set Designer

catherine Zuber, costume Designer

Jennifer tipton, Lighting Designer

STArrinG (in order of vocal appearance)

anne-carolyn Bird

GIannEtta (soprano)

matthew polenzani

nEmorIno (tenor)

anna netrebko

aDIna (soprano)

mariusz Kwiecien

BELcorE (baritone)

ambrogio maestri

DuLcamara (bass)

netrebko polenzani kwiecien maestri

a LovESIcK countrY BoY; thE BEautIfuL, WEaLthY GIrL Who has stolen his heart; a blustering officer; gullible peasants; and a quack selling potions from his horse-cart: this is the personnel of L’Elisir d’Amore, or “The Elixir of Love.” Written by Gaetano Donizetti in 1832, it is one of the most enduringly successful comic operas, and one that achieves a rare distinction: it’s a comedy with heart. Donizetti and his librettist, Felice Romani, dashed off the score within the space of a few weeks, embellishing an earlier plot by French playwright Eugène Scribe. With its timeless setup, its twists and turns, and its gentle satire of such 19th-century theatrical staples as the traveling doctor, the dashing soldier, and the lure of romantic folktales, L’Elisir d’Amore offers a good-natured exploration of the tangled webs we weave in love. The story of Adina and Nemorino, the young couple-to-be, is universal, and similar stories have been told in many different ways and styles. But for this new Met production of Donizetti’s opera, director Bartlett Sher aims for a slightly different perspective: “Nemorino is often seen as the country bumpkin,” he says. “But I think he’s a more serious character than that, and a more serious real love interest. He has difficulty expressing exactly why he is in love with Adina. We want to investigate that, so by the time he finally gets to say what he feels at the end of the show, we’ve built it up from the beginning. That’s at the center of the story.” The extraordinary cast of this Live in HD production is led by star soprano Anna Netrebko as Adina and Matthew Polenzani as Nemorino, with Maurizio Benini conducting. This guide is designed to help students appreciate the performances and interpretations of the artists involved, and to look below the surface of romantic comedy. They will investigate Donizetti’s sophisticated character development, the adroit balance between his music and Romani’s words, and the humane subtexts of this deceptively simple comedy. Above all, the activities in the guide will introduce students to the sights and sounds of this particular Met production, heightening their interest and delight in L’Elisir d’Amore.

production a gift of the monteforte Foundation, in honor of wim kooyker

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| a GuIDE to l’Elis ir d’AmorE

The activities in this guide address several aspects of L’Elisir d’Amore• Donizetti’suseofmusictodelineatecharacter• Therelationshipsamongmusic,text,andnarrativestructurein

conveying information to an opera audience• Thequestionofsocialandpoliticalresponsibilityinopera• Theproductionasaunifiedworkofart,involvingcreativedecisionsby

the artists of the Metropolitan Opera

The guide is intended to cultivate students’ interest in L’Elisir d’Amore whether or not they have any prior acquaintance with opera. It includes activities for students with a wide range of musical backgrounds, seeking to encourage them to think about opera—and the performing arts in general—as a medium of entertainment and as creative expression.

the guide includes four types of

activities. reproducible student

resources for the activities are

available at the back of this guide.

cLaSSroom actIvItY:

a full-length activity, designed to

support your ongoing curriculum

muSIcaL hIGhLIGhtS:

opportunities to focus on excerpts

from l’Elisir d’Amore to enhance

familiarity with the work

pErformancE actIvItIES:

to be used during The met:

live in Hd transmission, calling

attention to specific aspects of

this production

poSt-ShoW DIScuSSIon:

a wrap-up activity, integrating

the live in Hd experience into

students’ views of the performing

arts and humanities

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| thE StorY

AcT i Taking a break from their labors in the fields, the villagers are full of joy—all

but Nemorino, who yearns for the unapproachable Adina. He is a peasant, she a

landowner. He is illiterate; she is reading a book of legends, telling the villagers the

story of Tristan’s love for Isolde—and how he drank a magic potion that caused her

to love him in return.

A troop of soldiers arrives and its officer, Sergeant Belcore, woos Adina. Nemorino,

overhearing her flirtatiously considering Belcore’s offer of marriage, becomes more

despondent than ever. Adina advises him to give up and go care for his sick uncle.

She knows Nemorino is a good person but insists she has no feelings for him.

Dulcamara, a traveling medicine man appears. When Nemorino asks him if he

carries Tristan’s magic elixir, Dulcamara answers in the affirmative—and sells him

a bottle of cheap wine. He tells Nemorino that it takes effect after one whole day,

but Nemorino, having drunk the wine, feels its power as soon as Adina shows up:

knowing that she will fall for him tomorrow, he acts coolly toward her. She responds

by first flirting with Belcore, then agreeing to marry him that very night.

Nemorino, terrified, begs her to wait a day. Adina announces a wedding dinner.

Nemorino seeks Dulcamara for help.

Anna Netrebko as Adina and Ambrogio Maestri as Dulcamaranick heavican / met opera

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AcT ii The wedding feast is underway, complete with entertainment from Dulcamara,

but Adina is peeved: Where is Nemorino? She announces that she will not sign the

marriage contract until he shows up.

Nemorino tracks Dulcamara down and pleads for more elixir, but he has no money.

He comes upon Belcore, who offers cash if Nemorino will join the army right away.

Enlistment pay in hand, Nemorino buys more “elixir.”

Meanwhile, a gaggle of peasant girls learn that Nemorino’s uncle has died, leaving

him a fortune. As they vie for his attention, Nemorino is even more convinced the

elixir is working. Adina is jealous. Dulcamara tries to sell her some elixir, but she

intends to win Nemorino back her own way.

Noticing Adina’s distress, Nemorino realizes she is beginning to love him. But

he wants her to openly admit it. When she tells him that she has freed him from

Belcore’s troop by buying back his enlistment papers, the emotional tables are

turned, and Adina at last admits her love. His wedding cancelled, Belcore has no

doubt he’ll find another bride in the next village. Dulcamara, for his part, wraps

things up by insisting that his elixir not only wins hearts, but turns peasants into men

of great wealth.

voIcE tYpE Since the early 19th century, singing voices have usually been classified in six basic types, three male and three female, according to their range:

Soprano

the highest-pitched type of human voice, normally possessed only by women and boys

mEZZo-Soprano

the female voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto (Italian

“mezzo” = middle, medium)

contraLto

the lowest female voice, also called an alto

tEnor

the highest naturally occurring voice type in adult males

BarItonE

the male voice lying below the tenor and above the bass

BaSS

the lowest male voice

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| Who’S Who In l’Elis ir d’AmorE

chArAcTer pronunciATion Voice TYpe The LoWdoWn

nemorino a lovesick peasant boy

neh-moh-ree-no tenor poor and illiterate, nemorino has a heart of gold.

adina the girl he loves

ah-Dee-nah soprano adina is wealthy, attractive, and flirtatious.

Dulcamara a traveling salesman and quack

dool-kah-mah-rah bass Dulcamara sells fake medicines that promise to cure any problem— lovesickness included.

belcore an army officer

bell-ko-reh baritone belcore thinks he’s any girl’s dream.

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Lovers and other Strangers: a close Look at musical characterization in l’Elisir d’Amore

L’Elisir d’Amore is pure entertainment—a comedy of familiar characters in timeless

circumstances, enriched by music that’s sometimes lyrical, sometimes humorous,

but always precisely attuned to a specific character at a specific moment in the plot.

In this Classroom Activity, students will examine selections sung by the four main

characters. They will:

• consider each selection in terms of rhythm, melody, and expression of character

• apply their own experience with movies, TV shows, and other stories to assess

characters’ personalities

• distinguish between central and supporting characters in terms of growth and

change over the course of the plot

STepS

The main characters of L’Elisir d’Amore are a simple-minded and good-hearted hero,

a slightly more complex heroine, and a pair of roguish visitors who unintentionally

change the lives of the other two. Donizetti depicts all four of them with equally

distinctive musical treatment. In this activity, students will consider the musical

elements that add up to form the perfect voice for each of L’Elisir d’Amore’s main

characters. Then, having analyzed music sung near the beginning of the opera, they

will turn to the last pieces each character sings for evidence of Donizetti’s skill at

depicting a character’s growth and development through music.

preparatory Step: hearing the Elements of musicThis activity requires that students listen to music in terms of three elements:

• Tempo—the pacing or speed of a piece of music

• Melody—the specific sequence of pitches

• Rhythm—the pattern of sounds, pauses, and accents

If these terms are unfamiliar to your class, you may want to demonstrate with a few

simple exercises:

• Tempo: Have the class sing a familiar song like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

at normal speed, then very quickly, then very slowly.

| cL aSSroom actIvIt Y

in prepArATionfor this activity, students will need

the reproducible resource Firsts

and lasts that can be found at

the back of this guide, as well as

the audio selections from l’Elisir

d’Amore available online or on the

accompanying cD.

curricuLum connecTionSLanguage arts

media Studies (plot structure and

characterization)

LeArninG objecTiVeS • to consider the relationship between

the traits of characters, both central

and supporting, and the narrative

arc of a story

• to think critically about character

development and narrative structure

• to appreciate the use of melodic

and rhythmic styles in delineating

characters and their relationships

• to become familiar with the

characters in l’Elisir d’Amore and

the artistic devices Donizetti used to

depict them

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• Melody: Have the class sing the title line of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Ask

about the difference between the first three notes and the last two. (The first

three are the same pitch, repeated three times; the last two rise up the musical

scale). The arrangement of such musical ups and downs is the melody of a piece

of music.

• Rhythm: Have students tap a steady beat on their desks, one that could be

illustrated by:

— — — — — — (draw this on the board)

Rhythm is a pattern of long and short notes — the pattern of movement in time.

An example of a different rhythmic pattern is:

— — _ _ (ask your students to tap this rhythm on their desks)

Then ask your students to tap the rhythm of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” (as they

tap, draw the rhythmic pattern on the board, as above). Do the same with the

“Glory, Glory, Hallelujah” section of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” It may

look something like this:

— – – – – – — –

Glor- ry Glo-ry Hal-le lu-------- jah

Your students will notice a difference in these notations — a difference in rhythm.

STep 1: meeT The chArAcTerS

To begin the lesson, offer the briefest of introductions to the four main characters

in L’Elisir d’Amore:

Adina and Nemorino are two young people in a small town. They have known

each other forever. He is poor; she is wealthy. He is uneducated; she enjoys reading.

He loves her. She is pleasant but indifferent toward him.

On the same day, two strangers arrive whose plans may change their lives forever:

• the traveling salesman Dulcamara, and

• the army officer Belcore

Such a brief introduction will prepare students to discover much more about the

characters, simply by listening.

| cL aSSroom actIvIt Y

common core eLACollege and Career Readiness Standards for Reading: Grades 6-12

Craft and Structure

5. analyze the structure of texts, includ-ing how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

6. assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

nATionAL cenTer for hiSTorY in The SchooLS Historical Thinking Standards for Grades 5-12

Standard 2: Historical Comprehension

F. appreciate historical perspectives.

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STep 2: LiSTen To firST SoundS

In this step, students will listen to the first sounds operagoers hear from each of

the main characters. They should listen for qualities of tempo, melody, and rhythm

in each of the selections, then fill out the reproducible Firsts and Lasts, assessing

each character in terms of these three musical elements. Texts and translations can

be found on the reproducible pages In Their Own Words. A listening guide follows.

Note: Depending on the time and resources available, students can listen to all four

characters as one group, or divide in half, with one group listening to Dulcamara

(since he has many more tracks) and the other listening to Nemorino, Adina, and

Belcore, then bringing their findings together. In either case, conclude this step with

a whole-class discussion.

DulcamaraThe character of Dulcamara is the linchpin of L’Elisir d’Amore. By listening to excerpts

from “Udite, udite, o rustici” (“Listen, listen, o country folk”), the piece with which

this stranger introduces himself, students may be able to figure out why.

In track 1, Dulcamara announces his arrival. After a grand orchestral “ta-da!” he

starts to sing with an equally grand call to attention. The tempo is slow; the melody

and rhythm follow natural speech.

In track 2, he picks up the pace (tempo) a bit and introduces a steady, even

rhythm as he piles up magisterial phrases to describe his own purported accom-

plishments. The melody varies little within each phrase, but the full phrases rise in

pitch as Dulcamara tries to heighten his listeners’ interest.

After this confident opening, Dulcamara’s showmanship flags a bit in track 3, as

he realizes that his bragging has nowhere to go beyond “all universo” (“throughout

the universe”). Donizetti’s music hesitates along with the character. Then, never one

to let logic stand in the way of bluster, Dulcamara regains his stately tempo and

rhythmic stride by adding “e altri siti” (“and other places”).

By track 4, Dulcamara feels he’s captured the crowd’s attention and starts his

pitch in earnest. He picks up speed (tempo). He turns jaunty, even boastful—still

maintaining a single melody in each line, but now with “rat-a-tat” uneven rhythms

created by adding more syllables to each phrase. As he switches from establishing

his credentials to salesmanship, Dulcamara at last begins a pleasing little tune.

Students may observe that, in this track, Dulcamara begins to sound less like the

royal herald of Tracks 1–3 and more like a showman. This is intentional: Donizetti

and his audience knew that a traveling salesman would attract customers by enter-

taining the crowd.

All the elements come together in track 5, where Dulcamara sings a quick,

rhythmically incessant, melodically varied description of his “mirabile liquore”

https://www.metopera.org/metoperafiles/education/Educator%20Guides/Audio%20Files/Elisir%20d'Amore%2012-13/ElisirdAmore.Track.01.mp3





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(“miraculous potion”). Romani’s text adds a second layer of rhythmic patterning by

incorporating end-rhymes.

Every sales pitch includes case histories, and Dulcamara begins to spin his out

in track 6. Students will notice the variation in rhythmic pattern here: He stretches

the 6th syllable of each line, then catches up by rushing the 7th and 8th syllables.

Romani enriches the complexity by extending his end-rhymes over three syllables.

Notice how Dulcamara closes his story of an old man’s stamina on a high note

(at the end of this track). This creates an air of musical tension, resolved with the

four downward moving lines of his next story, in track 7. Donizetti thereby uses a

melodic device to enliven the quality of Dulcamara’s spiel.

As his pitch unfurls, Dulcamara’s claims get broader and broader. His rapid-fire

rhythm persists in even faster tempo, but with less melodic variation. The result is

an air of breathlessness in track 8.

track 9 may remind students of a 21st-century infomercial. As Dulcamara gets

closer to announcing the price of his wares, he highlights their value by engaging

the crowd in call-and-response. Donizetti conveys the excitement by introducing a

rhythmic pause after Dulcamara mentions each hypothetical price (“Cento scudi?”

– 100 scudi? “Trenta?”— 30? “Venti?”— 20?). The chorus then jags the rhythm by

jumping in before the beat with a loud cry before each of Dulcamara’s own on-the-

beat “No!”s.

By the time Dulcamara reveals the price, in track 10, the crowd is in the palm of

his hand, as Donizetti depicts through the unquestioning harmony of the chorus.

“Udite, udite, o rustici” can be heard in its entirety in track 11.

Michael Yeargan’s set design for a scene in Act I

fun fact: As witty as comedies like L’Elisir d’Amore, La Fille du Régiment and Don Pasquale may be, Donizetti also excelled at drama. His most frequently performed work, the chilling story of a fragile young woman who goes mad on her wedding night, is Lucia di Lammermoor.







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After listening to “Udite, udite, o rustici,” students should consider the following

questions, basing answers on their own listening, in their own words. Then they can

add their observations of tempo, melody, and rhythm in this piece to the reproduc-

ible page Firsts and Lasts. The answers in parentheses below are examples. Your

students may have other ideas.

• Why might Dulcamara be a character in an opera called “The Elixir of Love”?

(Because he’s a traveling medicine man. He’s probably selling the elixir.)

• What effects do the rhythm, tempo, and melodic variations of Dulcamara’s piece

have on the crowd of country folk? (They spark their interest, engage them, and

sweep them up in the flow of Dulcamara’s claims.)

• Would you describe the rhythm, tempo, and melody in this piece as consistent or

as varied? Why might Donizetti have written it this way?

• Could real-life salesmen today take a lesson from Dulcamara (and Donizetti)?

Why? Why not?

NemorinoNemorino, the hero of L’Elisir d’Amore, may be unlettered and naive, but he’s no fool.

Donizetti and Romani make that clear from the first minutes of the opera. Sitting

apart from his fellow workers, Nemorino sings the aria “Quanto è bella,” declaring

both his unrequited love for Adina and his own clear-eyed self-knowledge.

track 12 establishes the lilting melody and fluid rhythm of the aria’s first cantabile,

or “songlike” section. The lightly energized pace identifies Nemorino as a young

romantic. He is happily, but hopelessly, in love.

It takes Romani’s text only four short lines to reach the heart of the problem:

Adina won’t give smitten Nemorino the time of day. Yet neither melody nor rhythm

gives a hint of Nemorino’s hopelessness—until track 13. Here, he forcefully itemizes

the differences between the well-read Adina and a peasant boy who “non so che

sospirar”—“can’t do anything but sigh.” After spitting out this catalog, Nemorino

turns more conversational in rhythm, but his melody spirals downward, heading for

that very sigh.

The sigh can be heard in track 14. Donizetti’s melody turns the words of love

from the start of the aria into an exhalation of longing, followed by pure, wordless

melodic grief. At last, in track 15, Nemorino finds his way back to the happiness of

loving, even for a unloved farm boy.

The aria continues with variations on the “Quanto è bella” theme. Then, in

track 16, Nemorino takes a dramatic turn, noticeable in tempo, melody, and rhythm,

as well as text. This is the cabaletta—a second, more rhythmically intense part of

the aria, used to change the musical and dramatic mood. Donizetti puts the oppor-

tunity to narrative use: Nemorino pulls himself together and decides he can find

a way to Adina’s heart. He’s going to take action, to find someone to teach him






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how. Donizetti’s bouncy, quick-paced melody affirms Nemorino’s commitment.

In track 17, as the townspeople join in, we can hear that Nemorino’s newfound

optimism is contagious.

“Quanto è bella” can be heard in its entirety in track 18.

After listening to “Quanto è bella,” students should consider the following

questions, basing answers on their own listening, in their own words. Then they can

add their observations of tempo, melody, and rhythm in this piece to the reproduc-

ible Firsts and Lasts. (Again, the answers in parentheses below are examples.)

• What does the rhythm, tempo, and melody of this aria indicate about Nemorino’s

character? (Their variety depicts him as a romantic, even a bit of a dreamer, but

also capable of taking decisive action.)

• Does Nemorino’s music differ from Dulcamara’s? Do these differences offer any

hints about their characters? (Nemorino’s music presents him as sincere, perhaps

naïve, but always serious. Dulcamara’s moments of seriousness have a whiff of

concocted drama: he’s selling, not revealing himself.)

• Having listened to Nemorino, how would you guess that the music for Adina,

the “beautiful, dear” girl he describes, might sound? What tempo would you

expect? What kinds of feeling might the melody convey? What do you expect

Adina might be like?

Michael Yeargan’s set design for a scene in Act I.



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A Darker View of Love PotionsAdina, the heroine of L’Elisir d’Amore, considers the tale of Tristan

and Isolde’s magic love potion to be ridiculous. Her creator,

Donizetti, didn’t take it all too seriously either: his opera’s plot

and title may hinge on the cheap wine Dulcamara sells Nemorino,

but the “elixir’s” apparent effect results from decidedly unmag-

ical emotions—the excitement of the peasant girls when they

learn of Nemorino’s inheritance and Adina’s jealousy in seeing

Nemorino suddenly become popular.

Three decades after Donizetti, another operatic giant took a

very different position on the Tristan myth: German composer

Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, which premiered in 1865,

is grand, complex, and tragic. It’s the exact opposite of L’Elisir

d’Amore—dark where Donizetti’s work is merry, mysterious where Elisir is down-to-earth, and as philosophi-

cally challenging as the earlier work is accessible.

As it happened, Wagner was quite familiar with Donizetti’s opera. He even arranged a solo piano version of

the score in 1840, a few years before his own breakthrough as an opera composer. But being far from Elisir’s

lighthearted comedy, his retelling of Tristan and Isolde’s story—an “all-pervading tragedy,” as he called it—

resulted in one of the most musically and dramatically demanding works in the entire operatic repertoire.

AdinaAs soon as the orchestra sounds the last note of Nemorino’s aria, we hear Adina’s

voice for the first time—track 19—not in song, but with a jolly laugh. With this juxta-

position, an audience might think she’s scoffing at Nemorino’s intentions. In fact, as

her exclamation in track 20 reveals, she’s laughing at a book.

Prompted by the crowd, Adina describes what she’s reading in track 21. It’s the

tale of “a certain love potion, due to which the beautiful Isolde could not escape”

the heartsick young Tristan. Donizetti’s music carries all the feeling and melody that

such a tale requires. If not for that earlier laugh, we might even think that Adina was

entranced by the story. But track 22 reveals her true perspective—light, ironic and,

as Donizetti’s chorus indicates in track 23, as infectious as Nemorino’s determination.

This first part of “Benedette queste carte,” Adina’s telling of the story of Tristan

and Isolde, can be heard in its entirety on track 24. Adina tells the story, reading

mostly on one pitch, while the orchestra plays the melody.

An ivory carving depicting Tristan and Iseult







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With this scene, very near the beginning, the stage is set for L’Elisir d’Amore. But

not until the middle of Act II—when Dulcamara tries to sell Adina his elixir—do we

learn exactly why she is so amused by the thought of a love potion.

In track 25, “Una tenera occhiatina” (“a tender little glance”), Donizetti gives

Adina a self-assured, quick rhythm to indicate how certain she is of her own attrac-

tiveness. To prove that she’s not bluffing, the composer has his heroine demonstrate

her feminine wiles in track 26: the pace is slower, the rhythm a bit more complex,

and the melody winds and beckons—all to provide musical support for her claim

that “the elixir is in these eyes.” The differences between Adina and Dulcamara

are plainly heard through their rhythmic and melodic differences in the duet that

continues “Una tenera occhiatina” (track 27).

The first part of this number can be heard in track 28.

Again, after listening to “Una tenera occhiatina,” students should add their obser-

vations of tempo, melody, and rhythm, as well as their understandings of Adina’s

personality, particularly in contrast to those of Nemorino and Dulcamara, to the

reproducible Firsts and Lasts.

BelcoreBelcore, a bold braggart of an army officer, completes the foursome. The moment

he comes into town, he walks right up and begins to woo Adina.

In track 29, “Come Paridi vezzoso” (“like handsome Paris”—a reference to the

ancient Greek hero whose actions led to the beginning of the Trojan War), students

can hear how his soft, syrupy melody, smooth rhythm, and calm tempo contrast

sharply with Nemorino’s shy sincerity.

When Belcore picks up the pace in track 30, “Or se m’ami” (“therefore, if you love

me”), he sounds positively commanding. Donizetti’s music perfectly matches the

arrogance of Romani’s text.

With their notes on the music Donizetti wrote for Belcore, students can complete

the “When We Meet the Characters” column on the reproducible.

STep 3: LiSTeninG for chAnGe

Which characters change and grow over the course of the story of L’Elisir d’Amore?

Who remains unchanged? As students will observe in listening to the four main

figures’ “famous last words,” Donizetti’s music leaves little doubt.

BelcoreBelcore may have marched into town like the conquering Paris but, at the end of the

opera, when Adina chooses Nemorino, the military man knows he’s beat. “Done is

done,” he states coolly in track 31. Then in track 32, he spits an insult at Adina, then

his melody rises assertively as he rhetorically leaves her behind (“Pieno di donne è

il mondo”—“the world is full of women”). But notice track 33: Belcore’s words seek

fun fact: To make sure there was no room for misunderstandings, Donizetti and Romani came up with fitting names for their characters: Nemorino means “little nobody,” Dulcamara is

“sweet-bitter,” and Belcore stands for “good heart.”










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to convey nonchalance, but his melody descends in steps. Donizetti reveals some

disappointment beneath the soldier’s swagger.

Has Belcore changed during the course of the opera? Students can enter their

thoughts on the reproducible, citing qualities of tempo, melody and rhythm to

prove their case.

DulcamaraDulcamara has the last word in L’Elisir d’Amore, leading the chorus in the piece that

begins “Ei correge ogni difetto”—“it corrects every defect.” He’s referring to the

“medicine” he sells. In track 34, the beginning of this finale, students will hear how

Dulcamara’s attitude remains unchanged—thanks to Donizetti’s reprise of material

from the barcarolle duet between Dulcamara and Adina (heard later in Track 49).

They can fill their observations in on the reproducible.

AdinaIn Act II, Nemorino enlists in Belcore’s army, using his enlistment fee to buy more of

Dulcamara’s elixir. But the wealthy Adina pays Belcore back in order to free Nemorino

from his commitment. She explains this to Nemorino in track 35, “Prendi, per me

sei libero”—“take this: because of me, you’re free.” Students should note that her

words refer only to the virtues of staying at home, awaiting better times—not to

love. Yet Donizetti’s melody tells a different story, especially to listeners who’ve

heard Adina sing “Una tenera occhiatina”: Gone is the self-aware seductress with

elixir in her eyes. Fluid rhythms and impassioned melody convey a kindness verging

on affection, and then Adina stops, breathes deeply, and insists “Resta!”—“Stay!”

The word may be far from explicit, but the music confirms her love for Nemorino.

Students can compare “Una tenera occhiatina” with “Prendi, per me sei libero”

to assess whether Adina changes during the course of the opera, citing melody,

rhythm, and tempo to support their assessments.

NemorinoLast but not least comes Nemorino. From the perspective of the story, he’s had a

great day. In “Quanto è bella,” he longed for Adina’s love. By the final curtain, he’s

won it. But does Nemorino himself change, or only his love life? Students can hear

a clue in track 36. Here, he responds to Adina’s “Prendi, per me sei libero”—and

above all to her indirectness about having feelings for him. Fast-paced, rhythmically




15

punchy, assertive as can be, the formerly lovelorn Nemorino now refuses to settle

for evasion or ambiguity. In track 37, he even sounds angry; his target, notably, is

Dulcamara, not his own well-known failings. And this works: Adina “capitulates” in

track 38.

Does Nemorino’s attitude, conveyed by rhythm, tempo, and melody as well

as words, prompt Adina’s admission? Has he changed from the mopey romantic

of “Quanto è bella”? Students should enter their assessments and supporting

arguments on the reproducible.

STep 4: diScuSSion

Wrap the lesson up by providing students with an opportunity to review and

compare their findings.

• Have patterns or consistencies emerged?

• Do particular characteristics of rhythm, tempo, or melody always signal particular

personality traits or emotions?

• Would it be possible to create a kind of glossary of musical effects and their

meanings? Why? Why not?

• Do students think the “meanings” of musical elements are universal, or might

they differ from one culture to another? By way of example, do their findings

from L’Elisir d’Amore apply to contemporary pop music by artists like Rihanna or

Beyoncé?

foLLoW-up

As a follow-up activity, students may enjoy analyzing their own responses to rhythm,

tempo, and melody as tools of characterization: Why might faster music convey one

type of feeling, slower music another? Why do elaborate melodies make us feel

differently from melodies that hover closely around a few notes? Even scholars of

music and scientists can’t definitively answer such questions, so they offer a genuine

opportunity for critical thinking, for stating propositions and providing evidence

and arguments of support. Students may even enjoy attempting to write the kind of

musical effects “glossary” mentioned in Step 4.



16

a tiny clue: a close Look at nemorino’s aria “una furtiva lagrima”

Only moments after Adina tells Dulcamara about the boy-catching power of “Una

tenera occhiatina”—“A tender little glance” (see Classroom Activity, Track 25)—

Nemorino sings of another small ocular event: a single tear he saw in Adina’s eyes

that tells him that she cares for him. He expresses his feelings in the aria “Una furtiva

lagrima”—“A surreptitious tear”—a piece as rich in psychology as it is in melody.

Two instruments introduce the aria—a harp, which will continue throughout

playing soft arpeggios, and a single, lonesome bassoon (track 39). They hardly

sound like the heralds of a young lover’s joy. The minor key conveys solemnity, if

not downright sadness. But Donizetti uses this key because Nemorino’s feelings are

mixed: After all, the augury of his happiness was a tear (track 40), a sign of sadness

in his beloved: her jealousy upon seeing other girls’ interest in him (track 41).

Nonetheless, Nemorino knows he couldn’t ask for more (track 42), and so in

track 43, Donizetti brings him out of the pensive minor into a bright major key, with

the affirmation that “She loves me. I see it!” This is still not an exuberant exclama-

tion; the slow tempo makes that clear. But it’s movement in a very positive direction.

The harp arpeggios prepare Nemorino’s return to the minor key as, in track 44,

he dreams of holding Adina at last. Here Romani’s text is especially important: it

connects “Una furtiva lagrima” back to “Quanto è bella,” the aria Nemorino sang

when he despaired of ever winning Adina’s love (see Classroom Activity, Tracks

12–18). He imagines Adina’s sighs blending with his own—precisely the sighs he felt

unable to produce in “Quanto è bella.”

Nemorino’s thoughts about holding Adina recur in track 45, but as he comes

to those significant sighs, Donizetti brings him out of the minor key again to a

different, even brighter major key than before. Ironically, and in the same spirit of

mixed feelings, Nemorino’s melody brightens just as he sings “Heavens! You could

die!” The darkness is gone for good, as Nemorino all but bursts with happiness in

bringing the aria to a close (track 46).

“Una furtiva lagrima” can be heard in its entirety on track 47.

| muSIcaL hIGhLIGht

muSicAL hiGhLiGhTS Are brief opporTuniTieS To

• help students make sense of opera

• whet their interest in upcoming

live in Hd transmissions

Each focuses on audio selections

from l’Elisir d’Amore available

online at metopera.org/education

or the accompanying cD. texts and

translations are available in the back

of this guide.

these “mini-lessons” will in practice

take up no more than a few minutes

of class time. they’re designed to help

you bring opera into your classroom

while minimizing interruption of your

ongoing curriculum. feel free to use

as many as you like.










17

mini-opera: a close Look at the Barcarolle in act II

As if L’Elisir d’Amore weren’t comedy enough for its 19th-century audience,

Donizetti and Romani slipped another miniature comic opera into the second act.

The occasion is the party for a wedding that won’t happen: the marriage to Belcore

that Adina has arranged, mostly to annoy Nemorino. A grateful guest, Dulcamara

leaps up, pulls out a handful of sheet music, and invites the putative bride to join

him in a barcarolle—a song in the time-honored style of Venetian gondoliers. (Some

students may remember the famous example in Act III of Offenbach’s Les Contes

d’Hoffmann, seen live in HD in 2009.) Here, there are distinct parallels between the

tale heard in the duet and Adina’s true situation.

Dulcamara announces the title on track 48—“The Gondolier Girl and Senator

Three-teeth.” He begins on track 49 in broad imitation of an old man—toothless

but, as he points out, rich. Instead of the gently bouncing 6/8 meter usually heard

in a barcarolle, Donizetti sets the piece in a more straightforward 2/4 to underline

the old man’s clumsiness. Adina joins in on track 50 with the gondolier girl’s simple,

honest refusal. Dulcamara, as the senator, sweeps it away.

Things get interesting in track 51. The gondolier girl, not so different from Adina

herself, responds with flirtatious irony (“Troppo onor”—“It’s too high an honor”).

In track 52, the crowd roars its approval, and Dulcamara falls out of character to

quiet them down. (Could this be an ironic comment by Donizetti on the behavior of

audiences in his day?)

The banter resumes in track 53. At last the crowd pipes up again in track 54, but

this time Dulcamara can’t disapprove: they’re praising him to the strains of the same

catchy melody. He can’t help but add to his own praise in track 55. The whole event

comes to an elaborate close in track 56—a finish so hysterically fast and enthusi-

astic that it might go on forever if Belcore, would-be bridegroom left out of the

hilarity, did not reclaim the spotlight: “Silenzio!”—Silence!

The entire Barcarolle can be heard on track 57.

| muSIcaL hIGhLIGht











18

| muSIcaL hIGhLIGht

Sound vs. Sense: a close Look at “adina, credimi” in act I

Though composers often use music to delineate character (see Classroom Activity),

there are occasions when, for one reason or another, there’s a discrepancy between

the sound of a piece and the meaning of its text. Such turns out to be the case with

“Adina, credimi” (“Adina, believe me”), the quartet heard at the end of Act I.

As the piece opens, its melody unquestionably matches its words: Nemorino,

having swallowed Dulcamara’s elixir, is pleading with Adina to wait just one day

before marrying Belcore—the day Dulcamara said it would take for the elixir to

take effect. As silly as Nemorino’s belief might be, he’s sincere, as displayed by his

compatibly lush music and heartfelt words, starting in a minor key and shifting to its

relative major (track 58).

In track 59, Belcore leaps in to mock Nemorino, piling insult upon insult in pulsing

rhythms that will underpin the approaching quartet. On track 60, after a short

exclamation by Nemorino, Adina joins in, her melody suffused with compassion. But

her words ridicule Nemorino’s lovesickness! She’s upset because in an earlier scene,

confident in Dulcamara’s elixir, Nemorino made a novice flirter’s mistake: he point-

edly ignored her, leaving Adina feeling somewhat vengeful. Yet Donizetti floats her

derision on angels’ wings.

Belcore starts huffing and puffing along with Adina, providing a counter-melody,

in track 61. Nemorino, still pleading, joins in track 62. The three weave an intricate

musical braid, irrespective of their personal agendas, and come to rest together on

the syllable “me.” On track 63, the townspeople pile on, rhyming that “me” with

“te”—the singular, informal “you”—a dart aimed straight at Nemorino.

By this time, four separate viewpoints—those of Adina, Belcore, Nemorino and

their neighbors—are all expressed distinctly in both words and music. The result,

heard on track 64, is a complex four-part ensemble that arrives at a lovely, harmonic

ending. A look at the text, however, demonstrates that the harmony is only musical:

The four separate viewpoints remain separate. No one has changed his mind about

Nemorino’s predicament.

The scene can be heard in its entirety on track 65.

fun fact: Encores of popular arias are a controversial fashion in the opera house. For years they were not done at the Met. But Nemorino’s “Una furtiva lagrima” has long been encore bait—repeated mid-opera in recent years by such stars as Rolando Villazón, Juan Diego Flórez, and Luciano Pavarotti.









19

| pErformancE actIvIt IES

Supporting Students During The Met: Live in HD Transmission

Thanks to print and audio recording, much about opera can be enjoyed long before a performance. But performance itself brings vital layers of sound and color, pageantry and technology, drama, skill, and craft. Performance activities are designed to help students tease apart different aspects of the experience, consider creative choices that have been made, and sharpen their own critical faculties. Each Performance Activity incorporates a reproducible activity sheet. Students bring the activity sheet to the transmission to fill out during intermission and/or after the final curtain. The activities direct attention to characteristics of the production that might otherwise go unnoticed. Ratings matrices invite students to express their critique: use these ratings to spark discussions that call upon careful, critical thinking. The basic activity sheet is called My Highs & Lows. Meant to be collected, opera by opera, over the course of the season, this sheet points students toward a consistent set of objects of observation. Its purposes are not only to help students articulate and express their opinions, but to support comparison and contrast, enriching understanding of the art form as a whole. For L’Elisir d’Amore, the other activity sheet, Real or Not?, invites students to consider closely the blend of artifice and reality in the scenic elements of this Metropolitan Opera production. The Performance Activity reproducibles can be found in the back of this guide. Either activity can provide the basis for class discussion after the transmission. On the next page, you’ll find an activity created specifically for follow-up after the Live in HD transmission.

20

politics, art & Entertainment: an Exploration of l’Elisir d’Amore as a Work of the risorgimento

Students will enjoy starting the class with an open discussion of the Met performance. What did they like? What didn’t they? Did anything surprise them? What would they like to see or hear again? What would they have done differently? This discussion will offer students an opportunity to review the notes on their My Highs & Lows sheet, as well as their thoughts about this Met production—in short, to see themselves as L’Elisir d’Amore experts. In devising this new Met production, director Bartlett Sher discovered an unexpected layer in Donizetti’s work. “This opera is a great entertain-ment,” he says, “but something seems to be happening underneath it. To me, that’s the Risorgimento, the development of Italian independence. I think, as part of that era, Donizetti is the classic Italian nationalist. He creates some of the greatest of Italian opera and makes a voice for his country.” (The maps included in this guide give a geographical overview of the effects of the Risorgimento—the creation of a single Italian nation from a collection of small independent kingdoms and territories.) Sher’s comment offers two opportunities for classroom discussion. First, students can focus their recollections and observations on aspects of the performance that embodied the director’s viewpoint. Did they see indications of Italian nationalism in this L’Elisir d’Amore? If so, how was it expressed? Whether or not students identified visible evidence of a political viewpoint in the Met production, certain aspects of the opera’s background inform Sher’s perspective. (See the sidebar Donizetti Resurgent? The Composer and the Movement to Unify Italy.) For instance, this production is set in 1836—four years after the opera’s premiere, and the same year in which Giuseppe Mazzini, the great thinker of 19th-century Italian unification, published his essay “The Philosophy of Music.” In it, Mazzini called Donizetti the only Italian composer (at that time) whose work involves the “persistent study of character”—of distinct, individual personalities—essential to great opera.

| poSt-ShoW DIScuSSIon

in prepArATionthis activity requires no preparation

other than attendance at the live

in Hd transmission of l’Elisir

d’Amore. reproducible maps,

designed to support students’

understanding of concepts in the

activity, can be found at the back

of this guide or online.

curricuLum connecTionSWorld history (the rise of nation-

states in 19th-century Europe)

critical thinking

LeArninG objecTiVeS • to encourage a critical perspective

on an artist’s interpretation of a

classic work

• to spur reasoned assessment of

others’ creative decisions

• to consider the relationship

between politics and art

• to introduce a historical context for

l’Elisir d’Amore, in particular, and

classical Italian opera in general, as

popular entertainment

Giuseppe Mazzini

21

Distinctive characters were important to Mazzini in an opera, but so was the chorus, which is standing in for the public that he believed opera might inspire. He saw the chorus as a kind of character itself—one with “an independent and spontaneous life of its own, as surely as the People, whose natural representative it is.” The chorus, Mazzini wrote, should “represent the multiple variety of sensations, opinions, affections, and desires, which ordinarily agitate the masses.” It’s quite possible that Mazzini himself had seen L’Elisir d’Amore when he wrote his essay. Whether he had or not, students may enjoy discussing, or even debating, the work in light of his views:• Shouldworksofartorentertainmentplayaroleinpoliticalaction?• Cana linebedrawnbetweenartwitha socialpurposeandpropa-

ganda? Does it matter?• Do the relationships amongandbetweencharacters andchorus in

L’Elisir d’Amore reflect Mazzini’s recommendations? How?• HowmightanoperalikeL’Elisir d’Amore have provided intellectual,

emotional, or moral support for the movement to unify Italy—a struggle that would go on for several decades after the opera’s premiere?

• Ifaworkincludedsuchspecificundertonesforaparticularcommu-nity at a particular point in history, how should it be appreciated by other audiences at other times?

common core eLACollege and Career Readiness Standards for Reading: Grades 6-12

Key Ideas and Details

1. read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical infer-ences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Craft and Structure

6. assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

nATionAL cenTer for hiSTorY in The SchooLSHistorical Thinking Standards for Grades 5-12

Standard 4: Historical Research Capabili-ties

b. obtain historical data from a variety of sources.

STANDARD 5: Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision-Making

a. identify issues and problems in the past.

22

Donizetti Resurgent?The Composer and the Movement to Unify ItalyThe 19th century was a turbulent period in Italian history. In its early decades, the country was divided into many small

kingdoms, duchies, and republics, as well as states controlled by the Catholic Church. Napoleon had invaded Italy in

1796. By 1805 he consolidated the northern territories into a new Kingdom of Italy and reduced the southern Kingdom

of Sicily to a small island, renaming its mainland portion the Kingdom of Naples. After Napoleon’s fall in 1815, the

peninsula again split into an array of small, antagonistic domains, most under the influence of the Austrian empire.

(See the reproducible maps accompanying the post-show activity, Politics, Art & Entertainment.)

It was during this period that the notion of a single unified Italian nation arose, driven by a popular democratic

movement known as the Risorgimento, or resurgence. Unification would not be achieved until 1870, 22 years after

the death of Gaetano Donizetti. But the patriotic passion it brought has, by some, been found in works as appar-

ently apolitical as L’Elisir d’Amore (see the post-show activity).

Opera was popular entertainment in 19th-century Italy. In an opera house, all segments of society, literate and

unlettered alike, came together, and all Italians could be addressed as one. Still, unlike the younger Giuseppe Verdi,

a fiercely political and patriotic man and artist, Donizetti is usually seen as a figure more interested in mounting

successful shows than in rallying his countrymen. During a period of political upheaval in Rome, he wrote to his

father, “I am a man whom few things disturb, or rather only one: that is, if my opera goes badly. For the rest I do not

care.”

But Donizetti did occasionally cover political themes in his work, especially his serious operas. And royal censors

would sometimes remove such provocative words as “libertà” (liberty) from the librettos he set. In L’Elisir d’Amore,

Belcore and his men serve as a reminder that foreign troops—first Napoleon’s armies, then mercenaries sponsored

by Austria—were a common sight in Italian towns during Donizetti’s lifetime, though notably the loyalties of the

gently mocked Belcore are never addressed.

The strongest connection between Donizetti and the Risorgimento may be found in the writings of Giuseppe

Mazzini, the movement’s first and greatest political theorist. His essay “The Philosophy of Music” (discussed in the

post-show activity) singled out Donizetti as the only living composer who held the promise of creating music of the

future—that is, one that could express the complex feelings and political yearnings of the Italian people. Whether

Donizetti agreed we can’t know. There is no record of a meeting between the composer and the Thomas Jefferson

of Italy.

23

THE mET: livE in Hd

l’Elisir d’AmorE

l’Elisir d’Amore Educator Guide track List

Met Radio Recording December 5, 1992

aDIna Kathleen Battle

nEmorIno Stanford Olsen

BELcorE Mark Oswald

DuLcamara

Enzo Dara

conDuctor Edoardo Müller

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

cLaSSroom actIvItY: LovErS anD othEr StranGErS

1–10 act i: Dulcamara; introduction to Dulcamara

11 tracks 1–10 continuously

12–17 act i: nemorino; first love aria (“Quanto è bella, quanto è cara!”)


19–23 act i: adina; tells the love story of tristan and isolde (“benedette queste carte!...Della crudele isotta”)


25–27 act ii: adina, Dulcamara; Dulcamara tries to sell adina the elixir


29 act i: belcore; introduction to belcore

30 act i: belcore; woos adina

31–33 act ii: belcore, adina; belcore insults adina after she makes the choice to be with nemorino

34 act ii: Dulcamara; selling his elixir at the end of the opera

35–38 act ii: adina frees nemorino from being enlisted in belcore’s army (“prendi, per me sei libero”)

muSIcaL hIGhLIGht: a tInY cLuE

39–46 act ii: nemorino; despairs over his love for adina (“Una furtiva lagrima”)


muSIcaL hIGhLIGht: mInI–opEra

48–56 act ii: Dulcamara, adina; barcarolle


muSIcaL hIGhLIGht: SounD vS. SEnSE

58–64 act i: nemorino, belcore, adina, Dulcamara; Quartet (“adina, credimi“)












24

THE mET: livE in Hd


act I

12–17 nemorino; first love aria (“Quanto è bella, quanto è cara!”)


19–23 adina; tells the love story of tristan und isolde (“benedette queste carte!...Della crudele isotta”)


29 belcore; introduction to belcore

30 belcore; woos adina

1–10 Dulcamara; introduction to Dulcamara


58–64 nemorino, belcore, adina, Dulcamara; Quartet (“adina credimi”)


act II

48–56 Dulcamara, adina; barcarolle


25–27 adina, Dulcamara; Dulcamara tries to sell adina the elixir


39–46 nemorino; despairs over his love for adina (“Una furtiva lagrima”)


35–38 adina; frees nemorino from being enlisted in belcore’s army (“prendi, per me sei libero”)

31–33 belcore, adina; belcore insults adina after she makes the choice to be with nemorino

34 Dulcamara; selling his elixir at the end of the opera

l’Elisir d’Amore Educator Guide track List—chronological











25

THE mET: livE in Hd


When We meeT The chArAcTer

When We LAST See him

do eLemenTS of The muSic chAnGe?

do The chAnGeS depicT perSonALiTY? hoW?

DUlcamara tempo

melody

rhythm

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

Lovers and Other Strangers: Firsts and Lasts

26

THE mET: livE in Hd


CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

Lovers and Other Strangers: Firsts and Lasts (CONTINUED)





nemorino tempo

melody

rhythm

27

THE mET: livE in Hd


CLASSROOM ACTIVITY



When We LAST See her



aDina tempo

melody

rhythm

28

THE mET: livE in Hd


CLASSROOM ACTIVITY






belcore tempo

melody

rhythm

29

THE mET: livE in Hd


CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

Lovers and Other Strangers: In Their Own Words

listen up! listen up, you yokels! pay attention! hold your breath!

i already suppose and imagine that in my opinion you all know that i am that great physician, that encyclopedic doctor called Dulcamara, whose noble virtue and countless wonders are known all over the world…

…and in other places.

patron of men! healer of the sick! in a few days i empty out, i clear out hospitals, and i go throughout the world selling health. buy some! buy some! i’m practically giving it away.

this is the bicuspidific, miraculous liquor, a powerful destroyer of mice and bedbugs, whose authentic, officially stamped certifications i’ll let everyone touch, see, and read.

Dulcamara

tracK 1

DuLcamara: Udite! Udite, o rustici! attenti! non fiatate!

tracK 2

DuLcamara: io già suppongo e immagino che al par di me sappiate ch’io sono quel gran medico, dottore enciclopedico chiamato Dulcamara, la cui virtù preclara e i portenti infiniti son noti in tutto il mondo…

tracK 3

DuLcamara: …e in altri siti.

tracK 4

DuLcamara: benefattor degli uomini! riparator dei mali! in pochi giorni sgombero, io spazzo gli spedali, e la salute a vendere per tutto il mondo io vo. compratela! compratela! per poco io ve la do.

tracK 5

DuLcamara: È questo l’odontalgico, mirabile liquore, dei topi e delle cimici possente distruttore, i cui certificati autentici, bollati toccar, vedere e leggere a ciaschedun farò.

30

THE mET: livE in Hd


with my potion—this specific, fantastic, terrific one— a seventy-year-old hypochondriac became the grandfather of ten more babies.

with this cure-all, in one short week, more than one distressed young man stopped crying.

it moves paralytics, dispatches apoplectics, asthmatics, asphyxics, hysterics, diabetics. it cures dropsy, and scrofula and rickets and it even gets rid of the liver ailment that’s become so popular.

i brought it through the mail from thousands of miles away. You will ask: how much does it cost? how much is a bottle worth? one hundred scudos?… no. thirty?… no. twenty? no—don’t anyone get dismayed!

to demonstrate my pleasure at such a friendly reception, i want, oh good people, to offer it to you for one scudo.

tracK 6

DuLcamara: per questo mio specifico, simpatico, mirifico, un uom settuagenario e valetudinario, nonno di dieci bamboli ancora diventò.

tracK 7

DuLcamara: per questo tocca e sana in breve settimana più d’un afflitto giovine di piangere cessò.

tracK 8

DuLcamara: ei move i paralitici, spedisce gli apopletici, gli asmatici, gli asfitici, gl’isterici, i diabetici. Guarisce timpanitidi, e scrofolae e rachitidi, e fin il mal di fegato, che in moda diventò.

tracK 9

DuLcamara: l’ho portato per la posta da lontano mille miglia. mi direte: quanto costa? Quanto vale la bottiglia? cento scudi?… no. trenta?… no. venti? no. nessuno si sgomenti.

tracK 10

DuLcamara: per provarvi il mio contento di sì amico accoglimento, io vi voglio, o buona gente, uno scudo regalar.

tracK 11

tracks 1–10 continuously

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

Lovers and Other Strangers: In Their Own Words (CONTINUED)

31

THE mET: livE in Hd


Nemorino

tracK 12

nEmorIno: Quanto è bella! Quanto è cara! più la vedo, e più mi piace... ma in quel cor non son capace lieve affetto ad inspirar.

tracK 13

nEmorIno: essa legge, studia, impara. non v’ha cosa ad essa ignota. io son sempre un idiota, io non so che sospirar.

tracK 14

nEmorIno: Quanto è cara! Quanto è bella! ah…

tracK 15

nEmorIno: Quanto è bella! Quanto è cara! più la vedo, e più mi piace...

tracK 16 anD 17

nEmorIno, thEn choruS: chi la mente mi rischiara? chi m’insegna a farmi amar?

tracK 18


how beautiful she is! how dear she is! the more i see her, the more i like her… but i am not able to inspire gentle feelings in her heart.

she reads, studies, learns. there isn’t anything that she doesn’t know. i’ll always be an idiot. i don’t know how to do anything but sigh.

how dear she is! how beautiful she is! ah…

how beautiful she is! how dear she is! the more i see her, the more i like her…

who will enlighten my mind? who will teach me how to love?

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY


32

THE mET: livE in Hd


Adina

tracK 19

instrumental and adina’s laugh

tracK 20

aDIna: benedette queste carte! È bizzarra l’avventura.

tracK 21

aDIna: …certo elisir d’amore, per cui la bella isotta da lui più non fuggì.

tracKS 22 anD 23

aDIna, thEn aLL: elisir di sì perfetta, di sì rara qualità, ne sapessi la ricetta! conoscessi chi ti fa!

tracK 24

aDIna: (laughing) benedette queste carte! È bizzarra l’avventura.

vILLaGErS: Di che ridi? Fanne a parte di tua lepida lettura.

aDIna: È la storia di tristano. È una cronaca d’amor.

choruS: leggi! leggi!

nEmorIno: (a lei pian piano vo’ accostarmi, entrar fra lor.)

aDIna: (reading) “Della crudele isotta il bel tristano ardea, né fil di speme avea di possederla un dì. Quando si trasse al piede di saggio incantatore, che in un vasel gli diede certo elisir d’amore, per cui la bella isotta da lui più non fuggì.”

these pages are wonderful! it’s a bizarre story.

…a certain elixir of love, thanks to which the beautiful isolde no longer ran from him.

elixir of such perfect, such rare quality— would that i knew the formula! would that i knew someone who makes it!

these pages are wonderful! it’s a bizarre story.

what are you laughing at? let us in on your witty reading.

it’s the story of tristan. it’s a chronicle of love.

read it! read it!

(i’ll slip in close to her very quietly, get in among them.)

“the handsome tristan burned with love for the cruel isolde, without the slightest hope of making her his one day. he then threw himself at the feet of a wise conjurer, who gave to him a flask of a certain elixir of love, thanks to which the beautiful isolde no longer ran from him.”

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY


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THE mET: livE in Hd


aDIna, thEn aLL: elisir di sì perfetta, di sì rara qualità, ne sapessi la ricetta! conoscessi chi ti fa!

tracK 25

aDIna: Una tenera occhiattina, un sorriso, una carezza vincer può chi più s’ostina, ammollir chi più ci sprezza. ne ho veduti tanti e tanti presi, cotti, spasimanti, che nemmanco nemorino non potrà da me fuggir.

tracK 26

aDIna: la ricetta è il mio visino, in quest’occhi è l’elisir.

tracK 27

(all singing at once)

aDIna: Una tenera occhiatina, un sorriso, una carezza vincer può chi più si ostina, ammollir chi più ci sprezza. ne ho veduti tanti e tanti presi, cotti, spasimanti, che nemmanco nemorino non potrà da me fuggir.

DuLcamara: ah! lo vedo, o bricconcella, ne sai più dell’arte mia. Questa bocca così bella è d’amor la spezieria. hai lambicco ed hai fornello caldo più d’un mongibello per filtrar l’amor che vuoi, per bruciare e incenerir. ah! vorrei cambiar coi tuoi i miei vasi d’elisir.

tracK 28


elixir of such perfect, such rare quality— would that i knew the formula! would that i knew someone who makes it!

a tender little glance, a smile, a caress can conquer the most obstinate person, soften the most scornful person. i have seen so many captured, smitten, suffering, that not even nemorino will be able to run from me.

my face is the formula; the elixir is in these eyes.

a tender little glance, a smile, a caress can conquer the most obstinate person, soften the most scornful person. i have seen so many captured, smitten, suffering, that not even nemorino will be able to run from me.

Yes, i see, little rascal. You know my art better. that beautiful mouth is love’s apothecary. You have a still and you have a furnace hotter than a volcano to distill, ignite, and inflame the love that you want. ah, i’d like to exchange my vials of elixir for yours.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY


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Belcore

tracK 29

BELcorE: come paride vezzoso porse il pomo alla più bella, mia diletta villanella, io ti porgo questi fior. ma di lui più glorioso, più di lui felice io sono, poiché in premio del mio dono ne riporto il tuo bel cor.

tracK 30

BELcorE: or se m’ami com’io t’amo, che più tardi a render l’armi? idol mio, capitoliamo; in qual dì vuoi tu sposarmi?

Just as charming paris presented the apple to the most beautiful woman, my delightful little peasant, i present you these flowers. but more glorious than he, happier than he am i, because as reward for my gift i receive your beautiful heart.

if you love me now, as i love you, why wait to put down your weapons? my darling, let’s give in; on which day do you want to marry me?

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY


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Belcore

tracK 31

BELcorE: È fatto.

tracK 32

BELcorE: tientelo pur, briccona. peggio per te! pieno di donne è il mondo…

tracK 33

BELcorE: …e mille e mille ne otterrà belcore.

Dulcamara

tracK 34

DuLcamara: ei corregge ogni difetto, ogni vizio di natura. ei fornisce di belletto la più brutta creatura: camminar ei fa le rozze, schiaccia gobbe, appiana bozze, ogni incomodo tumore copre sì che più non è...

Adina

tracK 35

aDIna: prendi. per me sei libero. resta nel suol natio. non v’ha destin sì rio che non si cangi un dì. resta!

Nemorino

tracK 36

nEmorIno: poiché non sono amato, voglio morir soldato.

it’s done.

keep him then, rascal. all the worse for you! the world is full of women…

…and belcore will have thousands and thousands of them.

it fixes every defect, every fault of nature. it offers beauty to the ugliest creature, it makes cripples walk, straightens humps, flattens lumps, covers every painful stump so well that they don’t show anymore.

take it. You are free, because of me. stay in your native land. there is no destiny so wicked that it can’t change one day. stay!

since i am not loved, i want to die a soldier.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY


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tracK 37

nEmorIno: non v’ha per me più pace se m’ingannò il dottor.

tracK 38

aDIna: ah! Fu con te verace, se presti fede al cor. sappilo alfine! ah! sappilo: tu mi sei caro, e t’amo. Quanto ti féi già misero, farti felice io bramo: il mio rigor dimentica; ti giuro eterno amor.

nEmorIno: oh, gioia inesprimibile!

there will be no more peace for me if the doctor cheated me.

ah! he was truthful with you, if you have faith in your heart. know it at last—ah! know it: you are dear to me, and i love you. as miserable as i made you, i burn to make you happy. Forget my harshness. i swear eternal love to you.

oh, inexpressible joy!

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY


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RESOURCE PAGE FOR MUSICAL HIGHLIGHT

A Tiny Clue

tracK 39

instrumental

tracK 40

nEmorIno: Una furtiva lagrima negli occhi suoi spuntò.

tracK 41

nEmorIno: Quelle festose giovani invidiar sembrò.

tracK 42

nEmorIno: che più cercando io vo?

tracK 43

nEmorIno: m’ama! lo vedo.

tracK 44

nEmorIno: Un solo istante i palpiti del suo bel cor sentir! i miei sospir confondere per poco a’ suoi sospir!

tracKS 45

nEmorIno: i palpiti sentir! confondere i miei coi suoi sospir! cielo! si può morir! Di più non chiedo.

tracK 46

nEmorIno: oh cielo! si può morir. Di più non chiedo. si può morir! si può morir d’amore.

tracK 47


one surreptitious tear welled up in her eyes.

she seemed to envy those merry girls.

what more am i looking for?

she loves me! i see it.

to feel the beat of her beautiful heart for a single instant! to mix my sighs for a moment with her sighs!

to feel the beat! to mix my sighs with hers! heavens! You could die! i ask for nothing more.

oh heavens! You could die. i ask for nothing more. You could die! You could die for love.

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Mini-Opera

tracK 48

DuLcamara: la nina Gondoliera, e il senator tredenti, barcaruola a due voci… attenti!

tracK 49

DuLcamara: io son ricco e tu sei bella. io ducati e vezzi hai tu. perché a me sarai rubella? nina mia, che vuoi di più?

tracK 50

aDIna: Quale onore! Un senatore me d’amore supplicar! ma, modesta gondoliera, un par mio mi vo’ sposar.

DuLcamara: idol mio, non più rigor. Fa felice un senator.

tracK 51

aDIna: eccellenza! troppo onor; io non merto un senator.

tracK 52

toWnSpEopLE: bravo! bravo!

DuLcamara: silenzio! zitti!

little Gondola Girl and senator three-teeth— a barcarole for two voices… pay attention!

i am rich, and you are beautiful. i have money, and you have charm. why do you resist me? my girl, what more do you want?

what an honor! a senator begs me to love him. but, a modest gondolier girl, i want to marry someone like myself.

my darling, resist no longer. make a senator happy.

excellency! it’s too high an honor; i don’t deserve a senator.

wonderful! wonderful!

silence! be quiet!

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tracK 53

DuLcamara: adorata barcaruola, prendi l’oro e lascia amor. lieve è questo e lieve vola: pesa quello e resta ognor.

aDIna: Quale onore! Un senatore me d’amore supplicar! ma zanetto è giovinetto; ei mi piace, e il vo’ sposar.

DuLcamara: idol mio, non più rigor; fa felice un senator.

aDIna: eccellenza! troppo onor; io non merto un senator.

tracK 54

toWnSpEopLE: bravo, bravo, Dulcamara! la canzone è cosa rara. sceglier meglio non può certo il più esperto cantator.

tracKS 55 anD 56

DuLcamara, thEn aLL: il dottore Dulcamara in ogni arte è professor.

BELcorE: silenzio!

tracK 57


adored boat-girl, take the gold and leave love behind. one is light and flies away; the other is heavy and stays forever.

what an honor! a senator begs me to love him! but zanetto is young; i like him, and i want to marry him.

my darling, resist no longer. make a senator happy.

excellency! it’s too high an honor; i don’t deserve a senator.

wonderful, wonderful, Dulcamara! this song is something rare. the most expert singer certainly couldn’t have chosen a better one.

Dr. Dulcamara is a professor of all the arts.

silence!


Mini-Opera (CONTINUED)

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Sound vs. Sense

tracK 58

nEmorIno: adina, credimi, te ne scongiuro. non puoi sposarlo, te ne assicuro. aspetta ancora…un giorno appena… Un breve giorno... io so perchè. Domani, o cara, ne avresti pena; te ne dorresti al par di me.

tracK 59

BELcorE: il ciel ringrazia, o babbuino, che matto, o preso tu sei dal vino! ti avrei strozzato, ridotto in brani se in questo istante tu fossi in te. infin ch’io tengo a fren le mani, va via, buffone, ti ascondi a me.

tracK 60

(all singing at once)

nEmorIno: ah, dottore!

aDIna: lo compatite. egli è un ragazzo, un malaccorto, un mezzo pazzo.

BELcorE: va via, buffone! va via, babbuino!

tracK 61

aDIna: si è fitto in capo ch’io debba amarlo, perch’ei delira d’amor per me. (vo’ vendicarmi…

BELcorE: infin ch’io tengo a fren le mani, va via, buffone, ti ascondi a me.

tracK 62

aDIna: …vo’ tormentarlo. vo’ vendicarmi, vo’ che pentito mi cada al piè.)

BELcorE: il ciel ringrazia, babbuino, che preso forse tu sei dal vino, va via, buffone, t’ascondi a me.

nEmorIno: ah, adina! ah, dottore! me infelice! Domani forse, domani te ne dorresti al par di me.

adina, believe me, i implore you. You can’t marry him. i’m telling you. wait a bit… at least a day… one short day… i know why. tomorrow, dear, you’ll feel sorrow. i think that you will suffer.

thank heaven, you baboon, that you’re mad or drunk with wine. i would have strangled you, chopped you to pieces, if you were in control of yourself right now. while i’m keeping my hands still, get out of here, buffoon—stay away from me.

ah, doctor!

have pity on him. he’s a boy, immature, half-crazy.

be off with you, buffoon! be off with you, baboon!

he has gotten it into his head that i have to love him because he’s deliriously in love with me. (i want to avenge myself…

while i still hold my hand in check, be off with you, buffoon, keep out of my way.

…i want to torment him. i want him to fall at my feet and beg for mercy.)

thank your lucky stars, baboon, that you're either mad or drunk. be off with you, buffoon, keep out of my way.

oh adina! oh doctor! Unhappy me! tomorrow, perhaps tomorrow you will regret it as much as i.

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THE mET: livE in Hd


tracK 63

toWnSpEopLE: ha pur la strana presunzione; ei pensa farla ad un sergente, a un uom di mondo, cui par non è. oh! sì, per bacco, è veramente la bella adina boccon per te!

tracK 64

see text from tracks 58–63

tracK 65


he strangely assumes that he can do that to a sergeant, a man of the world, which he does not seem to be. oh yes, by golly, the beautiful adina truly is a tasty treat for you!


Sound vs. Sense (CONTINUED)

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THE mET: livE in Hd


RESOURCE PAGE FOR POST-SHOW DISCUSSION

Politics, Art & Entertainment

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Italy Today

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Name

Class

Teacher

Date

In preparing for this Metropolitan Opera production, director Bartlett Sher and set designer Michael Yeargan studied settings for L’Elisir d’Amore going all the way back to the original production in 1832. They decided to set their version in a landscape that subtly mixes real and artificial elements. As you watch this opera, use this chart to help identify what’s real and what’s not in the world of Adina and Nemorino. We’ve included a few examples to get you started.

reAL ArTificiAL Your commenTS

the tree

the river

the waterfall

adina’s house

sheaves of wheat

Performance Activity: Real or Not?

47

L’Elisir d’Amore: My Highs & LowsOCTOBER 13, 2012

CONDUCTED BY MAURIzIO BENINI

REVIEWED BY

The STArS STAr poWer mY commenTS

MATTHEW POLENzANI AS NEMORINO * * * * *

ANNA NETREBKO AS ADINA * * * * *

MARIUSz KWIECIEN AS BELCORE * * * * *

AMBROGIO MAESTRI AS DULCAMARA * * * * *

The ShoW, Scene bY Scene AcTion muSic SeT deSiGn/STAGinG

THE PEASANTS SING DURING THEIR BREAK FROM WORK 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

NEMORINO SINGS OF HIS LOVE FOR ADINA 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

ADINA READS THE STORY OF TRISTAN AND ISOLDE 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

THE ARMY ARRIVES 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

BELCORE COURTS ADINA 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

NEMORINO REACTS TO BELCORE AND ADINA 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

DULCAMARA SELLS HIS POTIONS 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

ADINA AGREES TO MARRY BELCORE 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

48

L’Elisir d’Amore: My Highs & Lows(CONTINUED)

THE WEDDING FEAST 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

DULCAMARA AND ADINA’S BARCAROLLE 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

NEMORINO TRIES TO GET MORE ELIxIR FROM DULCAMARA 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

NEMORINO ENLISTS WITH BELCORE 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

THE PEASANT GIRLS BRING NEWS OF NEMORINO’S UNCLE 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

DULCAMARA TRIES TO SELL ADINA SOME ELIxIR 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

NEMORINO REALIzES ADINA LOVES HIM 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

NEMORINO RESPONDS TO ADINA’S OFFER 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

ADINA AND NEMORINO BECOME A COUPLE 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

DULCAMARA’S FINALE 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-4-5

MY OPINION

The ShoW, Scene bY Scene AcTion muSic SeT deSiGn/STAGinG

What to Exp Ect from l’Elisir d’Amor E - metopera.org Guides/Ed... · What to Exp Ect from...

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