Una furtiva lagrima...

"Una furtiva lagrima" (A furtive tear) is the romanza from act 2, scene 8 of the Italian opera L'elisir d'amore by Gaetano Donizetti.

It is sung by Nemorino (tenor) when it appears that the love potion he bought to win the heart of his dream lady, Adina, is working.

He loves Adina, but she is not interested in an innocent, rustic man such as he.

Ponziano Loverini | Portrait of Gaetano Doninzetti, 1877

To win her heart, he buys a love potion with all the money he has in his pocket.

It is actually a cheap red wine sold by a traveling quack doctor - but when he sees Adina weeping, he assumes the "elixir" has worked and she has fallen in love with him.

Una furtiva lagrima | Opera "L'elisir d'amore" by Gaetano Donizetti | Tenor: Luis Dámaso

Born in Madrid, Luis Dámaso (1969) studied singing there with Antonio Blancas.

He has won various prizes, including the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition in Philadelphia, I Cestelli competition in Stuttgart, the Francisco Alonso, Jacinto and Inocencio Guerrero, Jaime Aragall and Federico Romero competitions.

Luis Dámaso (1969)

Luis Dámaso (1969)

He has sung in the principal theatres of Europe and the United States, collaborating with distinguished ensembles such as the Orfeón Donostiarra, the Orquesta Nacional de España, the RTVE Orchestra and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Libretto

Una furtiva lagrima

negli occhi suoi spuntò:

Quelle festose giovani

invidiar sembrò.

Che più cercando io vò?

M'ama! Sì, m'ama, 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 co'suoi sospir!

Cielo! Si può morir!

Di più non chiedo, non chiedo.

Ah, cielo! Si può morir d'amor.

Libretto

A furtive tear

in her eyes appeared:

Those festive young girls

she seemed to envy.

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.

For a single instant the beats

of her beautiful heart to hear!

My sighs to blend

for a while with her sighs!

Her heartbeats, her heartbeats to hear,

my sighs with hers to merge.

Heavens! One could die!

More I cannot ask, I cannot ask.

Oh, heavens! One could, one could die!

More I cannot ask, I cannot ask.

One could die! One could die of love!

Rafał Olbinski, 1943

Rafał Olbinski (1943) is a Polish illustrator, painter and educator, living in the United States.

He is considered one of the major representatives of the Polish School of Posters.

He has completed many large murals for installations in public space in Europe.

He has produced more than 100 opera illustrations for album covers for Allegro-Music's Opera D'Oro Series.