Act 2

The pre-wedding party is in full swing. Dulcamara invites Adina to sing a duet with him. Belcore summons the local lawyer to arrange the wedding contract, but Adina – annoyed by Nemorino's apparent absence – decides to wait before putting pen to paper.

Nemorino, in despair at the prospect of losing the love of his life, begs Dulcamara for another dose of the love potion. The Doctor says he will be happy to oblige – in return for hard cash, of course. The penniless Nemorino is therefore easy prey for his rival Belcore, who offers him money to enlist.

What Nemorino does not know is that he has just inherited a fortune, thanks to the death of his uncle. But Giannetta, one of Adina's senior employees, has heard the news and passes it on to the women in the village. All at once, Nemorino has become the most eligible bachelor in the area. Initially bewildered, he attributes his sudden popularity with the ladies to the effects of the elixir. Dulcamara, too, starts to believe in the power of his own potion.

Adina, fearing that she is about to lose Nemorino to another woman, finally acknowledges the strength of her feelings for him and resolves to win him back. Nemorino dares to hope that his dream may be about to come true. It does: Adina, having repaid Belcore the recruitment fee, confesses to Nemorino that she loves him. When they hear of the inheritance, their happiness is complete. Belcore is obliged to leave empty-handed but Dulcamara, attributing all this success to the power of his elixir, departs in triumph.

To listen to Simon Rees' podcast click here. Simon gives a five minute introduction to The Elixir of Love, exploring the characters, the music and gives a background to the opera.