The Love Potion / L'elisir d'amore - City Theatre Klagenfurt

Libretto by Felice Romani based on the libretto by Eugène Scribe for the opera "Le Philtre" (1831) by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber / In Italian with German surtitles

The young farmer Nemorino is head over heels in love with the beautiful and wealthy Adina, but he does not dare to court her. In the story of Tristan and Isolde, he finds the solution to his problem: a love potion is needed! When a company of soldiers, led by the macho Belcore, arrives in the village, time is of the essence, as Adina seems to be taking a liking to the self-confident sergeant. Just at that moment, the traveling doctor Dulcamara arrives in the village and promotes his medicine, which is supposed to cure all ailments. From him, Nemorino acquires a bottle of the legendary love potion of Isolde. Of course, Dulcamara has sold him nothing more than a bottle of red wine, but to the surprise of the quack, the drink leads to the desired outcome after some complications and unites the young lovers.

After the late submission of the libretto, it took Gaetano Donizetti less than three weeks to create one of the most dazzling jewels of opera literature. Ruthlessly, yet full of love and affection for the characters, "L’elisir d’amore" reveals the weaknesses and vanities of the all-too-human condition. In the microcosm of a "Basque village," the great questions of life condense into sweet, melting, and stirring melodies – and unlike in the big world out there, at least in this musical comedy, everything turns out fine in the end.