The recent release of Decca’s “La sonnambula” in its’ original version (that is to say, with a mezzo-soprano taking over the title role) proves to be quite a revelation, considering the opera’s rich heritage as a work for the soprano voice. Several excepts from the score have already been posted by various people but I was a bit surprised to note that the love duets for the heroes have failed to appear, thus, I decided to post the first of these.
Unlike his lover who has the privilege of singing the second number of the opera, a cavatina of the utmost gentility, Elvino, at first glance, seems to have no such entrance aria which would establish his character in accordance with the idiom. Bellini, however, uses a far more effective solution, giving the tenor an opening arioso, whilst still maintaining dramatic credibility. Thus, the present piece, marked as a “duet”, actually avoids becoming one, at least in the usual sense of the word (or in comparison to the lovers’ breathtaking notturno in the same act): only after Elvino sings a quite long but sublime arioso, graced by the winds’ exquisite aide for the tenor (especially evident in the short duets between the voice and the horn at 0:58 and 2:11), and the short choral transition ends do we get a heartwarming duettino for the lovers, reprising the theme already stated in the tenor’s solo. The final full cabaletta (opening with an orchestral prelude of lovely good humor; strangely, I find myself very moved by the little flute solo at 4:37 which is an ideal contrast to the busy choral tempo di mezzo which I had to cut to keep the upload under 11 minutes) is, yet again, not a duet per se: if we omit the choral interjections and the final coda we are left with a succession of two ariosos, one – for Amina (kept understated, almost unaccompanied, completely in compliance with the text), shyly admitting that words leave her when she sees her groom; one – for Elvino (contrastingly appearing above a rich combination of sustained lines from the strings and winds) who reassures Amina that all her love can be seen in her eyes.
Cecilia Bartoli – Amina,
Juan Diego Florez – Elvino,
Gemma Bertagnolli – Lisa,
Peter Kalman – Alessio,
Liliana Nikiteanu – Teresa.
Hope you’ll enjoy :)!