The Metropolitan Opera Production of Bellini's La Sonnambula

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THE OPERA

Vincenzo Bellini’s La Sonnambula (The Sleepwalker) is an opera in two acts, with a libretto by Felice Romani, based on a ballet-pantomime by Eugène Scribe. The opera premiered in Milan in 1831 and was a big hit. And why not? The lead soprano role, Amina, requires some of the most spectacular bel canto singing in the entire operatic repertory.

THE COMPOSER

Vincenzo Bellini was born in 1801, in Catania, Sicily, and died in Puteaux, near Paris, in 1835. He was buried in Père Lachaise, but his remains were taken to the Duomo of Catania in 1876. In his brief lifetime - only 34 years - he managed to write Norma (1831) and I Puritani (1835), as well as La Sonnambula and four other operas, plus a mass and several other works. The composer was dubbed, because of his flowing melodic genius, "The Swan of Catania."

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA PRODUCTION

From the Met: "Mary Zimmerman, who directed Natalie Dessay in [the 2008-'09] season's hit new production of Lucia di Lammermoor, underlines La Sonnambula's dual elements of sleep and wakefulness in an intriguing staging set in the present. Bellini's hauntingly lyrical score soars as performed by Dessay and Juan Diego Flórez, back from their sensational run together in La Fille du Régiment in leading opera houses around the world."

Zimmerman's production is set in a rehearsal room where singers are rehearsing a production of La Sonnambula set in a Swiss village – in which the story, actions and characters of the village are all coincident with those of the rehearsal room. The opera revolves around a woman, Amina, whose sleepwalking throws her love affair into jeopardy.

OTHER SONNAMBULAS

• Jean-Pierre Aumer's ballet-pantomime La Somnambule, ou L'Arrivée d'un Nouveau Seigneur (1827)

• George Balanchine's ballet La Sonnambula, to a score by contemporary composer Vittorio Rieti incorporating thematic material from several Bellini operas (1946)

• Director Mick Garris’s movie Sleepwalkers (1992), written by Stephen King and starring Madchen Amick and Brian Krause

"Ever-so-virginal Tanya Robertson [Amick] is working at the local theater in Travis, Indiana when sleepwalker Charles Brady [Krause], a new student who just transferred from Paradise Falls, Ohio, comes to see the double bill (They Bite and Scream Dream). She's pretty, he's cute; they make a date to shoot photos together at Homeland Cemetery." -- courtesy of IMDB

• Funnyman/commentator/now director Bill Maher’s movie Sleepwalkers (2008), starring Charlize Theron, AnnaSophia Robb and Nick Stahl

"The drama follows an eleven-year-old girl's struggle to come to terms with her mother's abandonment." --courtesy of IMDB

SLEEPWALKING, THE MEDICAL CONDITION

"Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. Sleepwalkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during the day. These activities can be as benign as sitting up in bed, walking to the bathroom, and cleaning, or as hazardous as cooking, driving, violent gestures, or even homicide. Other activities that may attend sleepwalking include: moaning, talking, gesturing, and grabbing at apparently hallucinated objects. 

"Sleepwalkers often have little or no memory of the incident, as they are not truly conscious. Although their eyes are open, their expression is dim and glazed over. Sleepwalking may last as little as a 30 seconds or as long as 30 minutes." --courtesy of Wikipedia

HOW TO PREVENT SLEEPWALKING

"Get adequate sleep. Limit stress. Meditate or do relaxation exercises. Avoid any kind of stimuli (auditory or visual) prior to bedtime." --courtesy of WebMD.com