La sonnambula

• Count Rodolfo, lord of the place, Bass
• Teresa, mill owner, mezzo- soprano
• Amina, adopted by Teresa orphan, engaged with Elvino, soprano
• Lisa, landlady, in love with Elvino, soprano
• Elvino, wealthy landowner, Fiancé of Amina, tenor
• Alessio, villagers in love with Lisa, bass
• A notary public, tenor
• Chorus of Villagers

La sonnambula ( The Sleepwalker or The Sleepwalker ) is an opera by Vincenzo Bellini, which was premiered on March 6, 1831 at the Teatro Carcano in Milan. The libretto was written by Felice Romani (1788-1865) after a ballet - pantomime by Eugène Scribe and Jean -Pierre Aumer ( which premiered at the Paris Opera in 1827, or the same vaudeville comedy Scribes of 1819). However Romani took on request Bellini significant changes to the text before (eg the closing fell away in the Rodolfo turns out to be the father of Amina ).

History

Bellini was commissioned an opera composition by Duke Litta of Milan and chose a rural pastoral subject, having previously wanted to add sound Hernani by Victor Hugo. As Donizetti in the same season would bring out another historical subject (Anna Bolena ) Bellini renounced it. Already composed material from the project Hernani used in La sonnambula and Norma Bellini, which had its premiere in the same year. Bellini composed the opera in 2 months in Moltrasio, where he lived with the friendly singer Giuditta Turina.

The opera was one of the greatest successes of Bellini and was soon after in all of Europe ( and New York) listed. Amina is a signature role for a lyric coloratura soprano. With her ​​Giuditta Pasta celebrated at the premiere in 1831 ( with the tenor Giovanni Battista Rubini ), Henriette Sontag and Maria Malibran triumphs (eg Drury Lane Theatre in London, her last Sonnambula performance was in 1836 in Aachen, shortly before her death ) and later Jenny Lind and Adelina Patti. At the premiere, the opera was performed with the ballet sensation d' Amore and Bellini conducted. The Russian composer Glinka Michael sat in the premiere. Particularly well known is the aria Ah! Non credea mirarti! , In which the sleepwalker Amina explains her love for Elvino at the end of the opera. The incipit of the music and lyrics are engraved in Bellini's sarcophagus.

In the second half of the 20th century, the opera and other bel canto operas were revived by Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland again, each of which also exist several recordings. Well-known performers were previously Luisa Tetrazzini and the coloratura soprano Toti dal Monte stars of Scala and Lina Pagliughi. In 2008, the opera in Baden -Baden in reconstructed version after the new critical edition of the opera (Editor Zoppelli Luca, Alessandro Roccatagliati ) by Thomas Hengelbrock was performed with Cecilia Bartoli.

Action

Act 1:

Amina, the beautiful adopted daughter of the miller's wife Teresa, and the wealthy farmer Elvino want to get married. Amina is located in the village square by the choir of the villagers, but Lisa, the hostess of the village inn is jealous because she herself is in love with Elvino ( the love with them Alessio rejects ). As Elvino arrives with a notary and Amina put the ring on her finger wants ( love duet ), Rodolfo emerges, the new lord of the place, but long-continued and was incognito occurs. He immediately makes Amina the court and thus excited the jealousy of their fiancé Elvino.

The inn Lisa Rodolfo visited on the guest room when the sleepwalking Amina occurs that calls for Elvino and then decreases to a settee. Lisa is hiding and Amina is found by the villagers in the presence of tangled Rodolfo. All her protestations of innocence are useless and they will cast out by Elvino.

Act 2: In spite of the attempts at reconciliation of the count, the villagers ask Elvino remains at his crotch. At a meeting he throws Amina before their perfidy. He now wants to marry Lisa. On the way to the wedding now raises again before Teresa Lisa unfaithfulness in which they adduced a cloth that had lost these in Rodolfo's parlor. Elvino device again in anger and will violate the wedding. Since the sleepwalking Amina appears on a roof, the Elvino confesses her love and reaches even safe ground. It comes to reconciliation and still the marriage of the two.

Recordings

• Franco Capuana, Coro e Orchestra della RAI Torino, Fonit Cetra 1952, with Lina Pagliughi, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Cesare Siepi, Wanda Ruggeri, Anna Maria Anelli
• Leonard Bernstein, Orchestre et chœur you Teatro alla Scala, Opera d' Oro / Myto 1955 with Maria Callas, Cesare Valletti, Giuseppe Modesti, Eugenia Ratti, Gabriella Carturan, Pier Luigi Latinucci, Giuseppe Nessi ( the legendary production by Luchino Visconti in March / April 1955 premiere March 5 )
• Maria Callas, EMI recital 1955 Bellini, Cherubini, Spontini ( under Tullio Serafin, but the original recital recording of non credea mirarti was not published until after her death, on the original disk from the total recording under Votto 1957)
• Antonino Votto, EMI 1957, Coro e Orchestra Teatro alla Scala with Maria Callas, Nicola Monti Nicola Zaccaria, Eugenia Ratti, Fiorenza Cossotto (Scala in March 1957, there are also live recordings from Cologne July 4, 1957 and Edinburgh in 1957, under Votto )
• Richard Bonynge, Coro et orchestra Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Decca 1962, with Joan Sutherland, Nicola Monti, Fernando Corena, Sylvia Stahlman, Margreta Elkins
• Richard Bonynge, National Philharmonic Orchestra of London, Decca 1980, with Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Nicolai Gjaurow, Isobel Buchanan, Della Jones
• Marcello Viotti, Munich Radio Orchestra, Chorus of the Bavarian Radio, Nightingale 1998 Edita Gruberova, Bros, Scandiuzzi, Kotoski,
• Evelino Pidò, et Orchestre de l'Opera de Lyon Choeurs, Virgin Classics in 2007, with Natalie Dessay, Francesco Meli, Carlo Colombara, Sara Mingardo, Jael Azzaretti
• Alessandro De Marchi, Orchestra La Scintilla, Decca 2008, with Cecilia Bartoli, Juan Diego Florez, D' Arcangelo Ildebrando, Gemma Bertagnolli, Liliana Nikiteanu
• Evelino Pidò, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet, Decca 2009, with Natalie Dessay, Juan Diego Flórez, Michele Pertusi, Jennifer Black ( DVD)