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Hong Kong's renowned opera director Lo King-man will stage his latest opera production, Donizetti's "L'Elisir d' Amore" (The Elixir of Love), in January 2011.
"L'Elisir d' Amore" is one of Donizetti's most frequently performed operas. With its much-loved music, including the ever-popular tenor aria "Una furtive lagrima", and its fun-filled plots, the opera has stayed in the hearts of opera lovers worldwide over the years.
It is a love story between rich young farm owner, Adina, and the peasant Nemorino. Nemorino admires Adina and declares his love, but Adina gently discourages him. Dulcamara, a quack doctor, sells Nemorino a bottle of cheap wine, which he says is the famous "elixir of love", and promises him miraculous effects within a day. Nemorino is convinced that the elixir is taking effect, and he provokes Adina to such a degree of anger that she agrees to marry Belcore that very evening. Dulcamara advises Nemorino to take a bigger dose of the elixir. To obtain money to buy it, Nemorino enlists as a soldier. Adina discovers that Nemorino has joined the squadron in order to win her love. She finally confesses her love. At the end, Nemorino and Adina fall in love, and their happiness is complete.
An array of renowned local and overseas vocalists, including Dominic Armstrong and Alex Tam as Nemorino; Christina Haldane and Stefanie Izzo as Adina; David Ward and Freddie Tong as Dulcamara; Benjamin Bloomfield and Albert Lim as Belcore; Lam Wing-wing and Sandy Leung as Giannetta, will perform with the Hong Kong Virtuosi and the chorals of The Opera Society of Hong Kong, under the baton of Lio Kuok-man, graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, this two-act comic opera, Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'Amore" (The Elixir of Love), sung in Italian with Chinese and English subtitles, will be staged at 8pm on January 21 to 23, 2011 (Friday to Sunday), and 3pm on January 22 (Saturday), at the Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced from $150 to $600 for evening performances and from $120 to $540 for the matinee are now available at all URBTIX outlets, on Internet and by telephone credit card booking. Half-price tickets available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. (Limited tickets for CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis.) Opera talks, free of charge, will be conducted in Cantonese by Lo King-man. Interested parties are welcome to join on a first-come, first-served basis. Please see programme leaflets for details of group booking discount and free opera talks.
For programme enquiries, call 2268 7321; for ticketing enquiries call 2734 9009. Internet bookings are available at www.urbtix.hk. For credit card telephone bookings, call 2111 5999. Visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp for more information on the programme.
Ends/Sunday, November 21, 2010
Issued at HKT 10:00
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