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James Levine, in his first-ever performances of this opera, conducts a cast that also features Matthew Polenzani as the lovelorn Ernesto, Mariusz Kwiecien as the duplicitous Dr. Malatesta, and John Del Carlo as the title character. Renowned Austrian director Otto Schenk returns to the Met to direct the first revival of his production, which The New York Times praised as “wonderful” and “insightful” when it premiered in 2006.

Reviewing the production, the Times was unstinting in its praise for Netrebko, who “oozed seductive charm” as she “navigated bel canto hurdles in a performance that was both physically energetic and vocally rich.” Tenor Matthew Polenzani, who is making his Met role debut as Ernesto, is “one of the Met’s treasures” whose “polished performance puts him in the front ranks of a growing list of fine young tenors on the company roster” (Associated Press). Baritone Mariusz Kwiecien first played Dr. Malatesta at the Met in 2006 opposite Netrebko; the Times found him “mesmerizing in the role, his robust voice matched by his robust physique.” Bass-baritone John Del Carlo, whose many past performances at the Met include an acclaimed Dr. Bartolo in The Met: Live in HD broadcast of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, sings the title role.

Don Pasquale features sets and costumes by Rolf Langenfass and lighting design by Duane Schuler.
Great Performances at the Met: Don Pasquale is directed for television by Gary Halvorson and hosted by mezzo-soprano Susan Graham. Jay David Saks is the music producer. Great Performances at the Met: Don Pasquale is the first production airing during the 2011 season of Great Performances at the Met. The performance is sung in Italian with English surtitles.

Great Performances is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Irene Diamond Fund, Vivian Milstein, public television viewers and PBS. Corporate support for Great Performances at the Met is provided by Toll Brothers, America’s luxury home-builder®. Major funding for this telecast of Don Pasquale was provided by The Annenberg Foundation.

For the Met, Mia Bongiovanni and Elena Park are Supervising Producers, and Louisa Briccetti and Victoria Warivonchik are Producers. Peter Gelb is Executive Producer. For Great Performances, Bill O’Donnell is Series Producer; David Horn is Executive Producer.

Producer: Anu Krishnan
Designer: Lenny Drozner
Graphic Art: Gabriel Torres
Technical Director: Brian Lee
Production Assistant: Diana Cofresí-Terrero
Copy Editor: Leslie Kriesel
HTML Implementation: Brian Santalone

GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages copyright © 2007 Educational Broadcasting Corporation.

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Television Credits

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET: “L’Elisir D’Amore”

Gaetano Donizetti
“L’Elisir D’Amore”

Conducted by
Nicola Rescigno

Production by
Nathaniel Merrill

Set and Costume Designer
Robert O’Hearn

Lighting Designer
Gil Wechsler

Cast
Adina
Judith Blegen

Nemorino
Luciano Pavarotti

Sergeant Belcore
Brent Ellis

Dr. Dulcamara
Sesto Bruscantini

Giannetta
Louise Wohlafka

Choreographer
Todd Bolender

Chorus Master
David Stivender

Musical Preparation
Joan Dornemann

Assistant Stage Manager
Pamela Mcrae

Prompter
Joan Dornemann

Recitative Accompanist
Gildo Di Nunzio

Metropolitan Opera Administration
General Manager
Anthony A. Bliss

Music Director and Principal Conductor
James Levine

Assistant Managers
Joan Ingpen
Joseph Volpe
Marilyn Shapiro

Production Advisor
John Dexter

Artistic Administrator
Charles Riecker

Technical Director
Joseph Clark

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Personnel Manager
Abraham Marcus

Concert Master
Raymond Gniewek

Metropolitan Opera Chorus

Metropolitan Opera Ballet
Ballet Master
Donald Mahler

Stage Managers
Tom Connell
Chris Mahan
Stanley Levine

Stage Operations
Master Carpenter
Stephen Diaz

Master Electrician
Sander Hacker

Properties Master
Arthur Ashenden

Wig and Hair Stylist
Nina Lawson

Makeup Artist
Victor Callegari

Wardrobe Mistress
Christina Calamari

This stage production of “L’Elisir D’Amore” was made possible by a gift from the Metropolitan Opera Club, Mr. R. Livingston Ireland & Margaret Allen Ireland, Mrs. John Barry Ryan, and Mrs. Albert D. Lasker

LIVE FROM THE MET
Executive Producer
Michael Bronson

Producer
Clemente D’Alessio

Directed by
Kirk Browning

Associate Director
Alan Skog

Associate Producer
Karen Adler

Engineering Consultant
John Leay

Audio Design
John Pfeiffer

Transmission Consultant
Mark Schubin

English Subtitles
Sonya Friedman

Continuity
Gerald Fitzgeralt

Intermission Feature
Gene Searchinger
Equinox Films

Production Supervisor
Norman C. Berns

Editors
Judith Fleth
David Dean
Steve Rosofsky

Senior Technician
Ralph Parisi, Sr.

Technical Director
Rosario Augugilaro

Audio
Gino Aldo Lombardo
Michael Shoskes
Bill King

Video
Bill Steinberg
Paul C. York

Camera
Juan Barrera
John Geher
Les Leibowitz
Mike Lieberman
Jake Ostroff
Ron Washburn

Television Stage Managers
Terrence Benson
Tony Marshall
Diana Wenman

Production Assistants
Scott Fraser
Karen McLaughlin

Production Facilities
Reeves Teletape

Copyright 1981 by Metropolitan Opera Association

The contents of these GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages are copyrighted under United States and other copyright laws. You may not download, reproduce, transmit, display, distribute or make derivative works from the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages other than for personal use without the advance written permission of the copyright owner. Any unauthorized use of any of the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Online Web pages may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET pays tribute to the life of Luciano Pavarotti, who died on September 6, 2007, with an encore performance of one of his most treasured roles, Nemorino in Donizetti’s “L’Elisir D’Amore” (”The Elixir of Love”). The two-and-one-half-hour, two-act opera was originally broadcast on PBS stations from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on March 2, 1981. A highlight of the telecast is Pavarotti’s stunning rendition of “Una Furtiva Lagrima,” an aria he made his own in his illustrious career. Charlie Rose introduces the In Memoriam broadcast.

Composer: Gaetano Donizetti

Librettist: Libretto by Felice Romani, based on Eugène Scribe’s libretto “Le Philtre”

Production: Nathaniel Merrill

Conductor: Nicola Rescigno

Performers: Judith Blegen (Adina), Luciano Pavarotti (Nemorino), Brent Ellis (Sergeant Belcore), Sesto Bruscantini (Dr. Dulcamara), and Louise Wohlafka (Giannetta)

Synopsis:
Act I
Adina, wealthy owner of a local farm, her friend Giannetta and a group of peasants are resting beneath a shade tree on her estate. At a distance Nemorino, a young villager, laments he has nothing to offer Adina but love. The peasants urge their mistress to read them a story — how Tristan won the heart of Isolde by drinking a magic love potion. No sooner has Adina done so than Sgt. Belcore swaggers in with his troops. The soldier’s conceit amuses her, but he is not dissuaded from asking her hand in marriage. Saying she will think it over, she orders refreshments for his comrades. When Adina and Nemorino are left alone, he awkwardly declares his love. She tells him his time would be better spent looking after his ailing uncle than mooning over her, for she is fickle as a breeze.

In the town piazza, villagers hail the traveling salesman Dr. Dulcamara, who proclaims the virtues of his patent medicine. Since it is inexpensive, the villagers buy eagerly. When they have gone, Nemorino asks Dulcamara if he sells the elixir of love described in Adina’s book. Pulling out a bottle of Bordeaux, the charlatan declares this is the very draught. Though it costs him his last cent, Nemorino buys the wine and hastily drinks it. Adina enters to find him tipsy; certain of winning her love, he pretends indifference. To punish him, Adina flirts with Belcore, who, informed that he must return to his garrison, persuades her to marry him at once. Horrified, Nemorino begs Adina to wait one more day, but she ignores him and invites the entire village to her wedding feast. Nemorino rushes away, moaning that he has been ruined by Dulcamara’s elixir.

Act II
At a local tavern, the pre-wedding supper is in progress. Dulcamara, self-appointed master of ceremonies, sits with the bridal couple. Adina’s mind is distracted by the doctor, who suggests they blend their voices in a barcarole about a gondoliera and her wealthy suitor. When the duet ends, Adina goes off with Belcore to sign the marriage contract; the guests disperse. Remaining behind, Dulcamara is joined by Nemorino, who begs for another bottle of elixir; his pleas are rejected, because he has no money. Belcore returns, annoyed that Adina has postponed the wedding until nightfall; he spies Nemorino and asks why he is so sad. The youth explains his financial plight, whereupon the sergeant persuades him to join the army and receive a bonus awaiting all volunteers. Belcore leads the perplexed Nemorino off to sign him up, enabling him to buy more elixir.

Peasant girls, gathered in the square, hear from Giannetta that Nemorino’s uncle has died and willed him a fortune. When the youth reels in, giddy from a second bottle of wine, they besiege him with attention; unaware of his new wealth, he believes the elixir finally has taken effect. Adina and Dulcamara arrive in time to see him leave with a bevy of beauties, and she, angry that he has sold his freedom to Belcore, grows doubly furious. Hoping to sell Adina a bottle of elixir, Dulcamara claims that Nemorino’s popularity is due to the magic potion. Adina replies she will win him back through her own charms. Reentering alone in a pensive mood, Nemorino takes heart because of a tear he has seen on Adina’s cheek, but when she appears, he acts disinterested. She confesses she bought back his enlistment papers because she loves him.

Back in the piazza, Belcore marches in to find Adina affianced to Nemorino; declaring that thousands of women await him, he accepts the situation philosophically. Attributing Nemorino’s happiness and inheritance to the elixir, Dulcamara quickly sells more bottles before making his escape.

Opera synopsis courtesy of Opera News.

Related Web Sites

• Luciano Pavarotti
• Bach Cantatas: Short Biographies: Judith Blegen
• Fondazione Donizetti
• All Music Guide: Nicola Rescigno
• Charlie Rose