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Light-hearted music and passionate love are ready to be poured out onto the stage like a fine wine as Manitoba Opera’s The Elixir of Love opens this weekend at the Centennial Concert Hall.
The production, set in the 1950s, features a delightful mix of artists and creators who are both newcomers to the city’s musical fabric and longtime local stalwarts.
One of those local stars is Andriana Chuchman, who made her professional debut in The Elixir of Love when Manitoba Opera last presented the work 19 years ago. Now, she returns to the Concert Hall stage in the leading role of Adina, the strong, entrepreneurial young woman who men fall head over heels for.
“It’s pretty special for me,” says Chuchman, who is enjoying the full circle moments in the rehearsal period leading up to the show. “[This] is a moment of reflection. You just sit down and breathe it all in and realize what the last 20 years held. It’s exciting to look back and look forward. “
While she has gone on to perform the role of Adina in some of the world’s biggest opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chuchman admits there’s a different pressure to performing here in Winnipeg. “Doing it at home is a whole other ballgame,” she says. “I’m performing for my family, my friends, my community. There’s a slight pressure to that it’s an exciting pressure.”
“You’re almost playing like a host and saying, ‘I want you to just sit and relax and let the music envelop you, let the story take you.’”
The music of The Elixir of Love is renowned for its enveloping nature. From the moment we meet Adina sharing a story from a book she’s reading to the introduction we get to the hopelessly besotted Nemorino, Donizetti’s score is one of the most beloved in the operatic repertoire, made famous over the years by legendary singers like Mirella Freni, Kathleen Battle, Nicolai Gedda and Carlo Bergonzi.
Then, there’s Luciano Pavarotti, whose rendition of Nemorino’s famous aria “Una furtiva lagrima” (“A Furtive Tear”) became one of his signature pieces.
Pavarotti's rendition has made the aria a daunting task for any singer, including Manitoba Opera’s Nemorino Jonah Hoskins. However, the Utah-born tenor has his own strategies for his performances of the aria.
“The most important thing is to focus on the moment dramatically and to tell the story in the most authentic manner,” he explains. “It’ll never be Pavarotti, so it has to become its own thing.”
Jonah’s own thing has been quite successful thus far, having performed the role all over the world including the Metropolitan Opera. “Nemorino is such a special person to play – I see a lot of myself in him,” says Hoskins. “[He’s] your average next door neighbour guy. He’s super loveable, but he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer.”
This kind of character can lend itself well to comedic action, which Hoskins admits can be a pitfall for some productions if they lean too far towards the humour. He commends the local creative team led by director Ann Hodges with finding a way to counteract that tendency. “In previous productions I’ve done, there’s been a lot done for the joke,” he explains. “In this show, everything’s driven through character and motivation, and it’s very honest. We’re telling a story in a new and relatable way.”
The Elixir of Love also stars local soprano Karen Santos as Giannetta, Manitoba Opera favourite Peter McGillivray in the role of Dulcamara, and Jorell Williams appears as Sargeant Belcore. The production opens Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m., with additional performances on Wednesday, Oct. 30th at 7 p.m. and Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and more information, you can visit Manitoba Opera's website.