The Elixir of Love - Nemorino's aria "What a beauty"

Nemorino, a poor waiter at the Bar Adina, in an Adriatic village near Trieste,1914, proclaims his love for his clever beautiful employer, Adina... admitting his chances with her are slim.

NEMORINO: What a beauty! what a stunner!
Do you wonder that I adore her?
But I'm well aware that I bore her
when she deigns to speak to me.
She' so worldly, brainy and highbrow
I feel tongue-tied, inadequate and stupid
It was merciless of cupid to enslave her employee.
Though it's hopeless, I'm besotted.
What a corker! What a smasher!
She's as beautiful as she is clever.
Could she love me? Could she ever?
I'd say never, and I don't know what to do.
I am too enamoured of her to give up and let it be.
I could never cease to love her though she has no use for me.
Me...with no earning potential!
Just a waiter in her pay, am I.
So inconsequential!
Yet I'll love her till the day I die.
If the devil came to dinner and would help me woo and win her
for the bargain I would offer him my soul
What a smasher! What a corker!
To attain my dearest goal
I would gladly sell my soul.

Words © Tom Boyd

Category:

Music

Tags:

• The
• Elixir
• of
• Love
• l'elisir
• d'amore
• Donizetti
• bel
• canto
• opera
• boyd
• philip
• o'brien
• nemorino
• quanto
• è
• bella

[terrorfan24]

SING THE SONG IN ITALIAN!!!! It doesn't sound right to me even in a poetic translation. Of course I am a person that if it was written in a certain language I prefer it stay in that language to be sung.

[hughdrover]

In opera, a 'song' is not meant to be just a lot of pretty sounds. The words further the drama, the story, the character and, in a comic opera like The Elixir of Love, the humour. All that is lost if it is in a foreign language. But à chacun son goût. (I'll leave the translation to you)

[terrorfan24]

Well I agree with you but if you study the score and the music ahead of time you know what is going on. I agree with what you are saying hughdrover and thanks for the little saying at the end of your post. I guess I am just the kind of guy that goes to a opera after I have studied the score and storyline in great depth.

[MazzKC]

This vid is great! Phil O'Brien has such a beautiful tenor voice and he is amazing live! I went to see him in this very production a few years ago and now he is singing with ENO! Thanks so much for the vid =)