‘The Elixir of Love’, an opera buffa in two acts, premiered at the Astana Opera theater. The masterpiece of the world opera, written by the famous composer Gaetano Donizetti in two weeks, has remained relevant and interesting to spectators for two centuries. Its secret lies in a humorous, light, but realistic plot. The poor young man falls madly in love with a girl from a wealthy family. He buys an elixir to heal from the seemingly undivided love. A potion turns out to be an ordinary drink. Nevertheless, the main female character Adina falls in love with Nemorino and the story ends with a wedding. The renowned set designer Ezio Frigerio and the French stage director Arnaud Bernard breathed life into the performance. They staged the production in a modern style, without losing the essence laid down by the author. Thus, the opera became a theatrical film.
“This classical production conveys the composer’s vision quite accurately, but it is done in a cinematic style, and with the energy that this music requires. We live in the age of film and television. We don’t have to stage static scenes that used to be there before. The performance requires joy, madness, but it is hard to be cheerful and convey emotions when everything is static. Fortunately, for that, the theater has everything, both technical capabilities and a creative troupe to give the dynamics,” said Arnaud Bernard, Stage Director, France.
“I took part in many new performances at the Astana Opera. But this one was special, in terms of the musical accompaniment, direction and drama - everything was great! That is because Arnaud Bernard is a renowned stage director not only in Europe, but across the world,” said Zhan Tapin, Leading Soloist of Astana Opera.
