Met Opera: L’Elisir d’Amore

Donizetti’s bubbly romantic comedy about a spunky landowner, a hapless peasant, and the dubious love potion that may or may not bring them together never fails to delight audiences. In this performance from the Met’s Live in HD series, South African soprano Pretty Yende stars as Adina, imbuing her character with lovable warmth while tossing off effortless coloratura passages from beginning to end. Tenor Matthew Polenzani is Nemorino, Adina’s love-struck admirer, who pours out his heart in the moving aria “Una furtive lagrima.” The cast also includes baritone Davide Luciano as the swaggering Sgt. Belcore and bass Ildebrando D’ Arcangelo as the wily Dr. Dulcamara, with Domingo Hindoyan conducting Bartlett Sher’s charming and colorful production. Composer: Gaetano Donizetti; Librettist: Felice Romani. Original performance date: February 10, 2018. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes.

Rain Date: August 18

Matthew Polenzani as Nemorino and Pretty Yende as Adina in Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.” Photo: Karen Almond/Metropolitan Opera