Gaetano Donizetti

Una furtiva lagrima

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) composed his popular two-act opera buffa L'elisir d'amore hastily over six weeks in 1832 for a premiere that took place on May 12 of that year at the Teatro della Canobbiana in Milan. The comic melodrama tells the story of a simple peasant, Memorino, and his unrequited love for wealthy landowner Adina. While competing for Adina with a soldier named Belcore, Nemorino turns to a charlatan named Dr. Dulcamara to purchase a love potion after hearing the story of Tristan and Isolde, a potion that does not do for Nemorino what it was intended to do. Finally, upon discovering Nemorino's sincerity in his love for her, Adina falls in love with him. The most famous aria in the opera, Una furtiva lagrima (A Furtive Tear), is sung by Nemorino in Act II, Scene 8, after he sees a single tear in Adina's eye. He is convinced that she now loves him, but he had spent all the money he had from joining the army on his love potion, and he will have to leave the next day with his new regiment. In the aria, he pensively reflects on what he saw and Adina's new love for him. The aria is among the best-known for tenors in the repertoire. Instrumentation: 1.2.2.2: 2.0.0.0: Hp: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set): Solo Tenor.