‘The Elixir of Love’: delightful Donizetti at the ENO

‘Careless talk costs lives’ appears on the front-drop at the start, but why has the English National Opera set this charming 1830s story in the Second World War? Perhaps director Harry Fehr was just having fun since the costumes by Zahra Mansouri for the visiting soldiers, in this case airmen, were deliberately not in RAF colours, but a far brighter blue. My companion for the evening assumed they were meant to be southern European, and indeed the original setting was a Basque village, but everything else about the production referred to a large English manor house on an estate where the chorus members were local farmworkers. A second anachronism was its presentation as a TV sitcom from the 1960s.

All too clever by half, but the essence of the story is simple: the difficulty men and women have in communicating with one another, particularly when the man is in a weaker position because of his timidity and impecuniousness. This particular young man, Nemorino, is often portrayed as a bit of a simpleton, but Thomas Atkins showed himself to be an intelligent-looking but cautious young chap, not knowing quite how to handle the headstrong and mercurial Adina of Rhian Lois. In this guise he easily captures the audience’s sympathy, and his beautiful lyricism contrasted well with her strong soprano and indifference to his lovelorn distress.

Sergeant Belcore, a shameless and seductive womaniser, who is visiting the village with a small team of soldiers, is promoted here to Wing Commander. The baritone Dan D’Souza carried it off rather well in a Monty-Pythonesque manner, with witty movements from him and his two companions. There was good movement, too, from the American bass-baritone Brandon Cedel and his two assistants as the quack doctor Dulcamara, an unscrupulous swindler who shows a gift for insinuating himself into the affairs of others.

Among some seventy operas by Donizetti, both comical and serious, this one is rarely missing from the repertoire of any large opera company, and the ENO are absolutely right to present it in a new production. One cannot help but admire their determination in the face of difficult financial times. They provide not just opera for a large audience, but opportunities for singers and musicians, here led by young Austrian-Spanish conductor Teresa Riveiro Böhm. She imbued this delightful opera with musical lightness and a sure sense of timing.

The charm of this work is enhanced by a wonderful turnaround at the end, and the audience showed strong appreciation of the performance.

Continues on six more dates until December 5.

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