The Delights of Donizetti: Elixir at ENO

Donizetti L’elisir d’amore (sung in English, transl. Amanda Holden). Soloists; chorus and Orchestra of English National Opera / Teresa Riveira Böhm. London Coliseum, 20.11.2024

Production: 

Stage director – Harry Fehr 

Set designer – Nicky Shaw 

Costume designer – Zahra Monsouri 

Lightin g designer – Mark Jonathan 

Video designer – Matt Powell 

Movement director – Anjali Mehra  

Cast: 

Adina - Rhian Lois 

Nemorino – Thomas Atkins 

Dulcamara – Brendon Cedel 

Belcore – Dan D’Souzas 

Giannetta – Segomotso Shupinyaneng 

Belcore’s Fellow Officers – Reece Causton, Suleiman Suleiman 

Dulcamara’s Assistants – Reece Causton, Bridget Lappin 

Vicar – Suleiman Suleiman 

Donizetti's comic masterpiece tends to bring out the best in all concerned: witness Wild Arts’ superb staging at Thaxted a few years ago (see my review on the Gramophone website), and who  could forget the Royal Opera production with Nadine Sierra and Sir Bryn Terfel in 2023? 

ENO now adds a delightful spin on the piece in Harry Fehr’s new staging, replacing that of Jonathan Miller. Setting the piece in World War II England in a crumbling country manor where Adina is a popular landowner, Fehr attempts sleight after sleight. A framing device of a projected television set showing titles and cast in delightful fashion presents Elixir as a TV sitcom with the finest ever soundtrack. Costumes are in perfect accord with the concept (superbly considered by Zara Mansouri). Here, Dad’s Army meets Upstairs Downstairs; a view out of some windows for the second act shows archetypal English countryside while the first act is set in a domestic kitchen space. Just as well it is sung in English: we are a long way from Italy. A Fehr says, ‘For ENO, we’re giving this most Italian of pieces an English adaptation, presenting the story among the land girls, airmen, and impoverished aristocrats of a country estate in the early 1940s. While poking fun at human vanity, it’s a warming hug of a story, filled with sunshine and laughter. Nemorino is anyone who has ever felt jove from afar, and the funny and emotional journey towards happiness satisfies the romantic in all of us’ 

While we may be far from the opera’s home In terms of setting, we are not as far as the music is concerned, which Teresa Riveiro Bóhm conducts with high intelligence. She has her eye on the bigger picture, always, and ensures ensemble is as tight as it can be. The big chouses rely on this, and 95%+ f the time, it succeeds (just a couple of moments in the second act were not spot-on, but it’s all part of live performance ...). The ENO Chorus was on world-beating form. And Böhm encourages some superb contributions from the ENO players, particularly the trumpet calls in act 1 and the long bassoon solo in ‘Una furtiva lagrima’  (I saw a tear that silently ...). 

Talking of Nemorino (that is his big aria), here an estate worker,  Thomas Atkins was superb. This was quite the way to make an ENO debut. Atkins graduated from the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in 2018. His voice is strong, ardent and capable of lovely cantabile; he also has comedic timing yet can evoke sympathy from an audience. Atkins was a strong Gastone in the 2019 revival of La traviata at Covent Garden (review). 

He is matched by his Adina, Rhian Lois, who previously ‘triumphed’ (my word) as Janine/Ofwarren in ENO’s  2022 staging of Poul Ruders’ The Handmaid’s Tale (review). A very different piece, this, and Lois took the spotlight with ease. Her timing, both musical and comedic, is impeccable, and her voice is easily agile enough for Donizetti’s demands. Lois started from a good place and got better as the night progressed. The scena and duet between Adina and Nemorino, in Italian ‘Chiedi all’ aura lusinghiea,’ led by Adina’s scena, was textbook Donizetti singing. Lois’ voice is perfect for this repertoire, light (but not insubstantial) and agile.  

Dan D’Souza (making his house debut) sang the love rival Belcore, all charm, smarm and ego, It was a fine assumption of the role, his strong baritone a good foil for Atkins’ tenor. 

An Elisir stands or falls by its Dulcamara, though, and after Terfel, pretty much anyone has a mountain to climb, The role fell to American bass-baritone Brandon Cedel, who sang in English. But when the opportunity arose for a near-spoken phrase, he revealed his American roots. He can do patter song well, though, and that is certainly what is needed here.  

I do live it when a cast member in a smaller role shines brightly, and that was certainly the case here. The Giannettaa was South African soprano Segomotso Masego Shupinyaneng, her voice clear as a bell, full of youthful vivacity, and of pinpoint accuracy. She acts the part well, too. All of this seems to outline her core traits as my Seen & Heard International colleague John Rhodes found similar in her performance as Karokla Jenůfa in March this year, also at the Coliseum (review). Gianetta is a part that can almost go unnoticed, but Shupinyaneng made it all her own. 

Very few gripes, therefore. Maybe a scene change in the first act is overly noisy for the music (which continues), but really that’s it. And a final word for the programme booklet, which features a fascinating interview with director Hary Fehr by Hattie Butterworth and a wide-ranging discussion on potions and love spells in opera by Mark Valencia.  

A wonderful night out, full of young talent. 

Photos © Marc Brenner