The Elixir of Love – St Andrew’s Church, Aldborough

Composer: Gaetano Donizetti

Director: Guido Martin-Brandis

Musical Director: Orlando Jopling

Each year, as part of its 10-day festival, the Northern Aldborough Festival welcomes one visiting opera company. Good as the previous years’ offerings have been, this superb performance by Wild Arts surpassed them all.

Wild Arts is a very busy seasonal opera company: at the moment their summer season consists of two operas and an evening of highlights, performed generally in non-traditional opera spaces, sometimes out of doors. How do you adapt a 19th century Italian opera for performances in gardens, on Cornish cliffs or crammed into the chancel of a Yorkshire church? (Officially, by the way, this was a concert performance, but had all the animation of a full performance.)

For a start you need to cut down the forces and Wild Arts did so with flair and imagination. Instrumentally Wild Arts opted for five strings, trumpet, clarinet/bass clarinet – and accordion which accompanied the recitatives and gave the orchestral sound the boot it needed as the ensembles built to a climax. The solution for the singers was even more inspired.The Elixir of Loverequires only four main principals, but also Gianetta, a relatively small part and friend of Adina, and a chorus. The solution, done with impeccable skill, was to subsume the part of Gianetta into the chorus of four and give them all names and identities. Bethan Terry (Gianetta), Laura Mekhail, Eamonn Walsh and Alex Pratley carried off the whole thing with expressive animation and fine voices. Then in major choruses unemployed principals joined in and effect was just as Donizetti planned it.

The story ofThe Elixir of Loveis simplified silliness itself, but great fun, full of opportunities for lyrical love songs, patter songs and high-speed choruses. Adina is a village beauty beloved of the incurably shy Nemorino and half-swept off her feet by the dashing sergeant/sea captain (smart uniform anyway) Belcore. The wily trickster Dulcamara arrives, peddling his miraculous medicines, and Nemorino spends his last penny on a love potion. By a strange coincidence his rich uncle dies in Act 2 – and you can all work out what happens. This daft story-line is no problem as Donizetti’s tongue never leaves his cheek.

It’s impossible to judge Guido Martin-Brandis’ production as the singers filled a narrow strip in front of the excellent instrumental ensemble who seemed to enjoy the evening under Orlando Jopling as much as anyone. So moves were limited, but reaction and inter-reaction there was plenty of. The situation was further complicated by the fact that Xavier Hetherington took the part of Nemorino at short notice and had recourse to a score from time to time. It took maybe 15 minutes for him to get in to the part; thereafter his rather dopy exterior and his stylish ringing tenor proved irresistible.

Galina Averina seemed a bit too sophisticated for your average village girl (well, she was the beauty of the village), but her sense of fun, pointed singing and rock-solid soaring high notes made for a telling performance. The experienced Timothy Nelson was Belcore to the life, preening and pattering to the manner born, but, if anyone stole the show, it was Alex Jones, but then Dulcamaras often do. His sales patter was immaculately delivered and his larger than life personality dominated proceedings.

So we had an evening of innocent fun, underpinned by exceptional vocal and instrumental standards.

Northern Aldborough Festival continues until 20th June 2025. Wild Arts perform at various places throughout the summer.