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© Gran Teatre del Liceu
The Elixir of Love
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November 2025  | ||||||
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The Elixir of Love – Gaetano Donizetti
Melodramma giocoso in two acts:
Libretto by Felice Romani based on the libretto Le philtre by Eugène Scribe.
Approximate running time: 2 hours and 45 minutes
Courage and epic elements surround the creation of this masterpiece of the buffo genre.
Courage and epic elements surround the creation of this masterpiece of the buffo genre. In his instructions to his librettist, Felice Romani, Donizetti said: "I am obligated to compose music for a libretto within fourteen days. I give you one week to prepare it for me. We shall see which one of us has more courage."
Love potions have been widely used in romantic tales for thousands of years, but in L’elisir d’amore, there is an unexpected and clever twist to the tradition: in this case, the happy ending is not brought about by a love potion (which is nothing more than red wine!), but by a story that revolves around a love potion. When the opera begins, the heroine is reading Tristan and Isolde, the medieval legend where a love affair does occur after drinking a magical elixir.
L’elisir d’amore is a perfect comedy where the main characters manage to be together through their actions, not by a potion. In an unexpected twist, Nemorino will unintentionally win Adina’s heart: the real magic is not in a bottle, but in the sincerity, friendship, and respect that can unite two hearts.
Donizetti’s comedy is one of the most beloved operas of bel canto, like the landowner and the peasant in search of love. The brilliant sopranos Pretty Yende, Serena Sáenz, and Marina Monzó alternate as the clever and intelligent Adina, alongside the innocence and shyness of Nemorino in the voices of tenors Javier Camarena, Michael Spyres (in his debut in this role), and Filipe Manu, winner of the 2024 Viñas Competition. Maestro Diego Matheuz returns to the Gran Teatre del Liceu after a successful Don Pasquale in the 2014-2015 season. Completing the cast are Huw Montague-Rendall and Carles Pachon as the vain and pompous Sergeant Belcore, and Ambrogio Maestri, Fabio Capitanucci, and Simon Orfila as the talkative and charismatic Dottore Dulcamara: their potions can cure anything, even a broken heart.
The beautiful and insightful production by Mario Gas (premiered at the Teatre Grec and the Castell de Peralada International Festival in 1983 and at the Liceu since the 1997-1998 season) transposes this melodramma giocoso to Italy in the early years of Mussolini’s fascism. The staging is a combination of fantasy and poetry, from Dulcamara’s arrival to Nemorino’s legendary romance with Adina: a comic work that also contains a serious sensitivity. A fresh production and a classic that breathes with Donizetti’s music, which gives prominence to the emotion of bel canto.
Program and cast
Adina - Pretty Yende | 2, 5, 9, and 13 of December
Adina - Serena Sáenz | 22, 25, 28, and 30 of November, and 3 and 14 of December
Adina - Marina Monzó | 24, 27, and 29 of November, and 4 and 15 of December
Nemorino - Javier Camarena | 22, 25, and 28 of November, and 2, 5, and 13 of December
Nemorino - Michael Spyres | 24, 27, and 30 of November, and 3, 9, and 14 of December
Nemorino - Filipe Manu | 29 of November, and 4 and 15 of December
Belcore - Huw Montague Rendall | 22, 25, and 28 of November, and 2, 5, and 14 of December
Belcore - Carles Pachon | 24, 27, and 30 of November, and 3 and 13 of December
Belcore - Jan Antem | 29 of November, and 4, 9, and 15 of December
Doctor Dulcamara - Ambrogio Maestri | 22, 25, and 28 of November, and 2, 5, and 13 of December
Doctor Dulcamara - Fabio Capitanucci | 24, 27, and 30 of November, and 3, 9, and 14 of December
Doctor Dulcamara - Simón Orfila | 29 of November, and 4 and 15 of December
Giannetta - Anna Farrés | 22, 25, 28, and 30 of November, and 3, 5, 13, and 15 of December
Giannetta - Núria Vilà | 24, 27, and 29 of November, and 2, 4, 9, and 14 of December
Stage direction - Mario Gas
Set design and costumes - Marcelo Grande
Lighting design - Joaquim Gutiérrez
Production - Gran Teatre del Liceu
Choir of the Gran Teatre del Liceu
Conductor: Pablo Assante
Symphonic Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu
Conductor: Diego Matheuz
Gran Teatre del Liceu
Barcelona's opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, was founded on the Rambla in 1847 and has continued over the years to fulfil its role as a culture and arts centre and one of the symbols of the city.
Today it is publicly-owned (by the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council and the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte) and administered by the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu which, in addition to the aforementioned bodies, incorporates the Patronage Council and the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu (the old society of owners).
Origins: From 1837 to 1847
The Liceu evolved out of the Sociedad Dramática de Aficionados (Society of theatre-lovers) set up in 1837 at the instigation of Manuel Gibert in the former convent of Montsió by members of the National Militia, an organization of armed citizens with liberal leanings.
Barcelona's economy and population were growing fast at the time and the city needed a music conservatory. This led to the conversion of the Sociedad Dramática into the Liceo Filármonico Dramático Barcelonés de S.M. la Reina Isabel II (Barcelona Dramatic and Philharmonic Lyceum of HM Queen Isabel II). In addition to its theatrical activities, the new organization cultivated Italian-style singing and music.
The building on the Rambla
The original building was solemnly opened on 4 April 1847. The plans had been drawn up by Miquel Garriga i Roca, subsequently assisted by Josep Oriol Mestres. The project was funded by selling shares, which meant that many of the boxes and seats were to be privately owned. The shareholders formed the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu, known as the “Societat de Propietaris” (Society of Owners), which was in sole charge of running the Gran Teatre del Liceu from 1855 onwards, after it was legally separated from the Conservatori del Gran Teatre del Liceu.
The theatre was operated by impresarios who were given a concession to stage a specific number of productions in exchange for the proceeds from the sale of tickets not reserved for the Societat itself. This system was to endure until 1980.
The creation of the Consortium
By the last quarter of the 20th century this management system was no longer viable. In 1980, to avert the danger of the disappearance of an institution of such worldwide cultural renown, the Generalitat Catalonia's first government in modern times – set up a consortium, the Consorci del Gran Teatre del Liceu, which also incorporated Barcelona City Council and the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu. Barcelona Provincial Council joined the Consortium in 1985, followed by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 1986. From then on the Consortium took over operation of the theatre.
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