L'elisir d'amore at the Metropolitan Opera

The first run or Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore" is now over. I got to see it live this past Wednesday night, and really enjoyed the show. This production stared Anna Netrebko as Adina, Matthew Polenzani as Nemerino, Mariusz Kwiecień as Belcore and Ambrogio Maestri as Dulcamara. The Met Orchestra was conducted by Maurizio Benini. The set was simple, not distracting, pleasant to look at and therefore effective. This production was not modernized like most Met productions have been lately. I honestly found that to be a relief. I cannot see this opera being modernized, but maybe I am wrong. The orchestra an chorus were solid musically, but a little behind the beat because Benini's tempos were on the fast side. Sometimes they were too much on the fast side for me, especially in Dulcamara's entrance aria. Anna Netrebko was a good Adina on stage, but her voice is too heavy for the role in my opinion. Therefore, the vowels were not as clear as I would have liked them to be. Her voice is impressive in terms of size. Diana Damrau sang Adina in the Met's last production. I think she is a better casting choice for Adina. Matthew Polenzani was a great Nemorino not only vocally, but with regard to his portrayal of the character. His soft pianissimo singing in "Una Furtiva Lagrima" reminded me of Tito Schipa. Polenzani is an exceptional lieder singer, and that showed with his great musicianship. Mariusz Kwiecień was a fantastic Belcore. He interpolated a great high G at the end of his entrance aria. In addition, he looked the part of an arrogant Sargent and played it very well. He's ideal for Donzetti's baritone roles. Ambrogio Maestri was a questionable choice for Dulcamara for me before I actually saw the show. He played Scarpia in a production of "Tosca" I was a part of in Switzerland. He proved me wrong, and was a great Dulcamara. His whistling between notes was really skillful and funny. All that being said, I would cast someone like Alessandro Corbelli, who sang Dulcamara in last year's Met production. Maestri ie a huge man, and a very intimidating opera villain. On the whole I really liked this production of L'elisir d'amore. Basically the story of the opera is that Nemorino is in love with Adina, and she won't give him the time of day. She at first buys into Sergant Belcore's arrogance, but then ends up liking Nemorino for who he is. In the meantime, Nemorino buys a "love potion" from the hack Doctor Dulcamra. This supposed elixir is really bordeaux. Nemorino still believes he has won Adina because of that potion at the end. Is he stupid for believing that? Yes. But, still I really like the fact that Adina ends up liking Nemorino for who he is. So, basically this is a spoof of Tristan and Isolde. This production will continue with the same cast in a few months, with the exception of Erwin Schrott taking over the role of Dulcamara.