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Director: Brian Large
Conductor: Evelino Pidò
Stars: Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Simone Alaimo
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252412/
Premiere 1832
Place: A small village in the Basque Country
Time: The end of the 18th century
Thought I'd try a more attractive couple to see if this opera is to my liking. Meh is still the result, although I did not watch it carefully, so maybe I missed the fun.
But my perception of "the fun" is that Alagna plays a fool (young, naive, whatever) who wants the best girl in town (landowner, no less), and thinks the medicine man's cheap wine will woo her when HE drinks it. So he's foolish, then he becomes drunk. When he runs out of money, he enlists in the army to get cash to buy more elixir. This time it works with all the other girls, because they learn he's just inherited his uncle's farm. Somehow the best girl figures out she'd miss him, buys back his army contract, professes her love, and the medicine man takes the credit (the elixir makes you rich too.)
Setting it in the time of automobiles doesn't help. Makes me wonder which war the army will stumble into.
Although they're real life newlyweds, I didn't feel any chemistry between them, and they don't get together until the very last duet. Their stage kisses are completely chaste, but given this plot has about the same tone (but mellower) as Li'l Abner, that's more appropriate than passionate ones.
Oh well. Hope I never get tempted to buy another performance of this.
Rated 8.5 (49).
OperaLyon, cond. Pido; 7
