Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore is a melodrama giocoso in two acts and has remained one of the world’s most popular and often performed operas. Nemorino is in love with Adina, who is indifferent, but eventually falls for him, helped by the huckster Dr Dulcamara’s elixir (in reality, cheap red wine). This performance restores cuts and is heard in full, as Donizetti intended, played on original instruments of the time at the original pitch. This allows one to hear more fully how he turned a traditional opera buffa into a masterpiece of characterisation and theatrical power.

‘The superlative musical evening.’ – Operaclick

‘Sala’s singing has the kind of implicit musicality that cannot be taught, she understands this music and phrased it lovingly and with imagination… Javier Camarena gave us a wonderfully detailed Nemorino. His bright, well-placed tenor with easy reach is ideal for the demands of the role.’ – operatraveller.com

‘Frizza gave a loving, passionate reading of this integral score, highlighting the solos interventions, and really giving us the feeling we were hearing it for the first time... Vocally Camarena’s interpretation was impeccable: spontaneous, emotional, but also lyrical and sentimental... Caterina Sala’s coloratura was spotless... Florian Sempey sang Belcore with a pleasant baritone, his coloratura solid and based on good technique.’ – Bachtrack.com

Cast:
- Adina: Caterina Sala (soprano)
- Nemorino: Javier Camarena (tenor)
- Belcore: Florian Sempey (baritone)
- Dulcamara: Roberto Frontali (baritone)
- Giannetta: Anaïs Mejías (soprano)
- Master of Ceremonies: Manuel Ferreira

Director: Frederic Wake-Walker
Assistant director: Lorenzo Ponte
Set designer: Federica Parolini
Light designer: Fiammetta Baldisserri
Assistant light designer: Emanuele Agliati
Costume designer: Daniela Cernigliaro
Assistant costume designer: Marta Solari
Video director:  Matteo Ricchetti

Recording place: Donizetti Opera Festival 2021, Bergamo, Italy
Recording date: 19 November 2021
Sung in Italian

Video format / Aspect ratio: NTSC – 16:9
Audio format: PCM 2.0 – Dolby Digital 5.1
Region code: 0 – All regions
Subtitles: Italian, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean
Notes: Italian, English
Duration: 142 min.
FSK rating: 0