Lubov Karetnikova floats a youthful, silvery Donizetti aria

THE SONGBIRD: Lubov Karetnikova was born in the United States in 1993, then spent her early years in Switzerland before moving with her family to Latvia. She began performing at a young age in ballet and theater. Karetnikova studied voice performance at the Latvian Music Academy, Lithuanian Music and Theater Academy, and the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg. In 2017, she sang Pamina at the Trentino Festival. Then came debuts as Gilda in Hof and Nanetta in Vilnius. She sang Mozart's “Requiem” in the famed Riga Dome Cathedral, and is scheduled to sing Marguerite and Rosalie in Dittersdorf’s "Doktor und Apotheker." She was first place winner at the Würzburg DEBUT opera competition in Igersheim in 2024.

THE MUSIC: Donizetti's beloved "L'elisir d'amore" is one of the most produced operas in the world, and it's easy to understand why with its sentimental comic story about the gullible underdog who wins over the girl of his dreams. It's been called a "tenor's opera" due to the extremely appealing tenor role of Nemorino; however, the soprano Adina does have one big vocal (and emotional) moment at the end when she finally admits to him that she loves him. "Prendi per me sei libero" is one of the composer's most ingratiating melodies, and it is followed by an elegant if short florid cabaletta "Il mio rigor dimentico." The score in this section tops out a High C, but there are endless scales and roulades to be negotiated. There are other versions of the cabaletta that are even showier, but these are not in the standard score and rarely sung (for examples, see Mariella Devia's commercial recording with Roberto Alagna or Joan Sutherland's alternate cabaletta which was an addendum to her complete recording.)

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