L'Elisir D'Amore is one of Donizetti's best along with Lucia Di Lammermoor, La Fille Du Regiment and Don Pasquale, it's charming and funny with gorgeous music. This production from San Francisco is not the best I've seen, that the 1967 Scotto, Bergonzi, Taddei and Cava production, but it is still sparkles with charm and fun which you would hope to get from a production of this opera. Visually, apart from the generic ice-cream sign it looks pretty and colourful, and the staging never feels overdone or dull. The orchestral playing is lively and energetic, the pungent bassoon solo in Una Furtiva Lagrima is deserving of a mention, and Bruno Campanella's conducting is straightforward while never losing any of the score's sparkle. The chorus are well balanced and animated. Ramon Vargas is very appealing as Nemorino, coming across as shy and awkward to start with and finally showing some self-esteem at the end. His purity of tone and musicality are exceptional, especially in Una Furtiva Lagrima. Inva Mula's Adina is witty and charming, she sings with youthful effortlessness and you can definitely see why everybody loves her. Alessandro Corbelli, in an entrance that works within the concept but perhaps not in a more traditional setting, is a brilliant Dulcamara. His articulation and diction as ever are spot-on as is his comic timing, and while you can tell Dulcamara is a con-artist Corbelli lets us know that subtly and charmingly rather than in an overdone or blatant fashion. Giorgio Caoduro's Belcore is great, pompous while not being seemingly aware of it and of the cast it is his colouratura that stood out as the most impressive. Overall, charming and beautifully done with a great cast. 9/10 Bethany Cox
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