L'Elisir d'Amore, Opera Bastille, Paris 10. Oct 2009

Tonight it has been the première of Donizetti's "l'Elisir d'Amore" at Opera Bastille, Paris, starring Anna Netrebko as Adina, in her role debut in Paris, with Giuseppe Filianoti as Nemorino, George Petean as Belcore, Paolo Gavanelli as Dulcamara and Jaël Azzaretti as Gianetta. Paolo Arrivabeni was conducting the Orchetra and Chorus of the Opera National de Paris. This is a coproduction with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, staged by Laurent Pelly.

Three more performances are scheduled with the same cast, on 15., 20. and 23. October 2009, and three more with Tatiana Lisnic as Adina and Charles Castronovo as Nemorino on 12., 17. and 25. October 2009.

Anna Netrebko, who had just sung with a huge success in a sold-out concert with Massimo Giordano at Salle Pleyel, Paris on 1. Oct 2009, started the rehearsals for "l'Elisir d'Amore" on 2. Oct 2009, just the day after the concert.

L'Elisir d'Amore
Melodramma Giocoso in 2 Acts (1832)
Music by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Felice Romani after that of Eugène Scribe for Daniel Auber's Le Philtre

Opera Bastille, Paris 10. October 2009

Cast
Adina: Anna Netrebko
Nemorino: Giuseppe Filianoti
Belcore: George Petean
Il Dottor Dulcamara: Paolo Gavanelli
Giannetta: Jaël Azzaretti

Production
Musical Director: Paolo Arrivabeni
Stage Director and Costumes: Laurent Pelly
Sets: Chantal Thomas
Lighting: Joël Adam
Dramaturgy and collaboration with the Stage Director: Agathe Mélinand
Chorus Master: Alessandro Di Stefano

Orchestre et Choeur de l’Opéra National de Paris
Coproduction of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London

About the Opera
L'Elisir d'Amore in Wikipedia [English]
L'Elisir d'Amore: Synopsis [English]
L'Elisir d'Amore: Libretto [Italian]

Personal Report
I have attended the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore at Opera Bastille on 10. Oct 2009 where Anna Netrebko was making her role debut at the opera house. The production was pretty nice. Taking a look to the programme booklet, which contains a very nice and well selected collection of wonderful photos from italian movies like "Riso Amaro" (1949) by Giuseppe de Santis with Silvana Mangano and Vittorio Gassman, "Brutti sporchi e cattivi" (1976) by Ettore Scola, "La Strada" (1954) and "Amarcord" (1973) by Federico Fellini or "Pane, amore e..." (1955) by Dino Risi, one can easily guess that this production was pretty much inspired in those movies.

At the opening of the first act, the stage was filled with a huge pyramid of packed piles of straw. It was a sunny day and Adina was lying on some those piles of straw, reading and taking a bath sun, while Nemorino was hidden around, watching her. Anna Netrebko was an outstanding Adina. Wearing a short dress and pigtails, she was awesome playing a young, sexy and cute country girl who enjoys to drive crazy Nemorino with her indifference. Vocally she was also outstanding.

Giuseppe Filianoti was a very convincing Nemorino, playing a childish, simple and naif young boy who is in love with Adina. Vocally he was also pretty good.

After a change of sets, a small and pretty old bar trattoria and an aside outhouse was on the left of the stage. Dulcamara arrived in a small truck and starts to show the products he uses to sell. Paolo Gavanelli was very good playing a dirty, cheater charlatan. Vocally he was also good, showing a powerful and well projected voice. George Petean as Belcore was also quite effective, maybe overacting at some moments.

The curtain was fully decorated with typical ads of announcing a number of different products. The second act opens with a scenario prepared for a country dancing party. Two packed piles of straw are located on the left and right side of the stage. Some other piles have been placed in the middle of the stage, with some wood plates on top of them to be used as a dance platform.

Giuseppe Filianoti was awarded with some bravo and a big ovation after the well known aria "Una furtiva lagrima". He was pretty good but maybe he did not risk too much in the highest notes.

Anna Netrebko was once again awesome in the second act, performing as a moving, charming, sweet, young, fresh cute country girl and singing with an outstanding voice, powerfully and easily filling the big auditorium of the Opera Bastille. She got a loud, warm and deserved ovation after her aria "Prendi per me sei libero", one of the best and most touching moments of the opera.

It was a great evening and in general all the performers were awarded with warm ovations. At the curtain calls, Anna was not the last one to come on stage, leaving this position to Filianoti.

Reports
Herbert has attended the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore at Opera Bastille on 10. Oct 2009 and he wrotes the following short report:

The programme brochure is very interesing because of the black-and-white photos from Italy in the Fifties and Sixties. They show exactly some scenes which have inspired the production team when they figured out the setting and the costumes.

I was surprised that Anna - although she has developed this year artistically and has turned to some more serious programs, e.g. her Russian "lieder" in Mannheim and Salzburg - still can play a young girl like Adina so well. She was stunning (and very sexy). And her singing, as always, was outstanding. The whole cast mixed very well, and I think you could feel that they enjoyed the performance as much as the audience did.

Elisa attended also the premiere and she kindly wrote a report for the blog:

I have attended the premiere of l'Elisir at Bastille where Anna was making her role debut at the opera house... but it was also my debut! In fact I saw Anna live for the first time and the right word is: SHOCK!

Her voice was amazing, big and deeper with such a beautiful color... It's very different listen to her live, the powerful of her voice is amazing, very very strong! She was singing in Bastille... and I think we could listen to her from Versailles! But power it's nothing without a control and Anna can jump to FORTE from her wonderful PIANISSIMO with elegance, sense of sound and rythm! She can sing in all the way, she danced all the time during the performance, and the best moment for me was "una tenera occhiatina" with Gavanelli, while she was singing and dancing like a mix of twist and mambo! Amazing!

The Elisir is a hard opera for all Adinas because it is a comic opera, and for women it's hard to characterize such a role, surely hardest than for a man, and in that Opera it's so much difficult because the men are three! Adina has to have a very, very strong character for a good performance (more than Norina for example, because in the Elisir the humor of Adina it's clear in the second act). But Anna do more than this with her fantastic performance, a little bit inspired in Loren or Mangano or Mangani... Fantastic! She does a great job and her Adina turn to be the best character in this Elisir... I can only say: Anna's rules!

Irina attended also the premiere and she wrote a very nice report on her blog "Around the world with Irina". You will also find there an awesome collection of nice photos of the performance, showing the different sets used in the first and second acts, as well as some photos of the curtain calls and at the stage door.

On-line Press Reports
L'Elixir D'Amore-Opera Bastille Paris-Anna Netrebko-Giuseppe Filianoti-George Petean-Paolo Gavanelli-Paolo Arrivabeni-10.10.2009 - Around the World with Irina [English] [Photos]

Photos
Overview of the main entrance of Opera Bastille for the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Overview of the auditorium of Opera Bastille at the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Poster announcing the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore at Opera Bastille on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Curtain used for the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore at Opera Bastille on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Curtain calls at the end of the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore at Opera Bastille on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Curtain calls at the end of the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore at Opera Bastille on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Curtain calls at the end of the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore at Opera Bastille on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Anna Netrebko at the stage door of the Opera Bastille after the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Anna Netrebko at the stage door of the Opera Bastille after the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Anna Netrebko at the stage door of the Opera Bastille after the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Anna Netrebko and soprano Laura Celletti at the stage door of the Opera Bastille after the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Laura

Anna Netrebko at the stage door of the Opera Bastille after the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Carlos

George Petean at the stage door of the Opera Bastille after the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Giuseppe Filianoti at the stage door of the Opera Bastille after the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Herbert

Giuseppe Filianoti and soprano Laura Celletti at the stage door of the Opera Bastille after the premiere of l'Elisir d'Amore on 10. Oct 2009. Photo: Carlos

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