What kind of opera is this? Donizetti defined it as “comic”, but we might also call it a “romantic comedy”.  Indeed it is a comic opera, full of cheer and humour, but with an overridingly sentimental note. In no other comic opera do we find parts as moving as “Adina credimi” and “Una furtiva lagrima”.

Apparently a light story about common sense, L'elisir d'amore is actually based on a libretto by Felice Romani of great intellectual subtlety. Reason scoffs at the superstitions of the people. Only a fool can believe in love potions. In fact the only one that believes in them is Nemorino. It is also a pleasant countryside fairytale: the honesty of sentiment wins over fraud. The opera also has a few wise words for girls of marriageable age: better a devoted fool than a dandy.

The staging of French director Laurent Pelly has already delighted audiences around Europe. Great things are expected of Rolando Villazon, one of the best tenor voices to emerge in recent years.