A romanza from Gaetano Donizetti's opera L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love). It's a romanza sung by the protagonist, Nemorino.

Synopsis

Act 2, scene 8

Nemorino is in love with Adina, but she isn't interested in him. In order to win her heart, he spends all his money to buy a love potion from a quack doctor, Dulcamara, but he doesn't know the "potion" is just cheap Bordeaux wine.

He drinks his "potion" for the second time and enters a room full of young ladies. By this time, everyone but Adina and him knows that he's recently inherited a small fortune and so all the ladies flock around him. Confident that the potion works, he ignores them all, including Adina.

She asks Dulcamara what happened to Nemorino. The fake doctor, unaware that she's the lady Nemorino fancies, tells her about Nemorino, how he spent all his money on elixir trying to get the attention of a lady and even joining the army to get some more. Adina regrets her behavior, realizes she has loved Nemorino all along and leaves the room. Upon seeing this, Nemorino realizes she does care for him and sings of joy.

Lyrics

Una furtiva lagrima
negli occhi suoi spuntò:
Quelle festose giovani
invidiar sembrò.
Che più cercando io vo?
Che più cercando io vo?
M'ama! Sì, m'ama, lo vedo. Lo vedo.
Un solo istante i palpiti
del suo bel cor sentir!
I miei sospir, confondere
per poco a' suoi sospir!
I palpiti, i palpiti sentir,
confondere i miei coi suoi sospir...
Cielo! Si può morir!
Di più non chiedo, non chiedo.
Ah, cielo! Si può! Si, può morir!
Di più non chiedo, non chiedo.
Si può morir! Si può morir d'amor.

Translation by Wikipedia:

A single furtive tear
from her eyes sprang:
Of those festive, young girls
envious it seemed to be.
What more need I look for?
What more need I look for?
She loves me! Yes, she loves me, I see it. I see it.
Just for an instant the beating of
her beautiful heart I heard!
And my sighs became as one
fleetingly with her sighs!
Her heart beating, her heart beating to hear,
our sighs confounded as one...
Heavens! Yes I could, I could die!
More I can't ask, I can't ask.
Oh, heavens! Yes I could! Yes I could die!
More I can't ask, I can't ask.
Yes I could die! If I could die of love.

Notable recordings

Trivia

Donizetti boasted that he had completed L'elisir in just two weeks, while scholars suggest that it was more likely written on 4-6 weeks. A speedy work, nonetheless.

Ten years after its debut, Donizetti recast this aria for baritone, down to G minor.

Sources

  • Wikipedia
  • The Aria Database
  • San Francisco Opera

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