THESE arias are taken from two of the most successful of Donizetti's light-hearted operas.
In the first aria, the hero who has drunk the love potion which gives the opera its name, sees his beloved weeping at the thought of his devotion to her. She has just learned that, in order to buy the magic draught, he has enlisted as a soldier to obtain the necessary money.
The second aria is from an opera of such boisterous fun as to be farce rather than comedy. It is a serenade sung by the hero of the tale beneath his beloved's window. Although probably. the best known number from the opera, it was not in the original score, but was added by Donizetti as all afterthought to make a specially bright moment in the last act.
Both arias have long been favourites with tenor singers and Caruso sang both roles with real pleasure in their melodious grace.