Bellini’s La sonnambula of 1831 was the seventh of the ten operas he composed before his untimely death at the age of 33. The title page describes it as an opera semiseria because, while it’s not a comedy, it has a happy ending and, generally speaking, no serious harm comes to anybody. The plot is one of the endless variations of a fiancé deciding that his intended is unfaithful based on dubious circumstantial evidence; she despairs, but all is made good when some authority figure provides the exculpating testimony. Basically, it’s Much Ado About Nothing or Ariodante but with sleepwalking.
Musically, it’s pretty standard bel canto fare with quite florid arias for both the misunderstood soprano, Amina, and her jealous tenor lover, Elvino, plus at least one such aria for each of the supporting players. There are several rather good duets for the lovers and perhaps rather more choruses than the average work in the genre.
On Valentine’s Day, it got the Opera in Concert treatment at Trinity St. Paul’s Centre. As usual, Guillermo Silva-Marin’s “semi-staged” production had the cast in concert wear but included some basic blocking. Essentially, the principals operate mostly on the stage apron with the piano at centre stage and the chorus behind it. There were a few minor changes to this format. The chorus sang the opening number of each act from the gallery and, most effectively, Amina made her second sleepwalk down the aisle from the back of the auditorium to the stage. There was enough visual interest to raise the performance above a pure concert version.
Once again too, Silva-Marin found a pair of excellent young singers, fairly new to the Toronto scene, to front his show. Diana Rockwell, who hails from Yellowknife by way of Winnipeg and who sang Amina, proved to be a revelation. She’s very young but has a voice of considerable power, purity and agility – definitely one to watch. She’s also a fine actor and sang beautifully throughout the piece, building to a very fine “Ah! non giunge” in the finale.
Photo Credit: courtesy of Opera in Concert
Austin Larusson, Minerva Lobato and Julia Renda
Jeremy Scinocca, as Elvino, displayed a tenor voice that has all the notes but is almost starting to sound too big for Bellini. Fortunately, he still has the required agility, but one suspects that his future lies with heavier fare. The duets between Rockwell and Scinocca were definitely among the show’s highlights. They worked really well together.
The supporting cast was good too. Austin Larusson as Count Rodolfo, the authority figure who solves the “mystery,” acted with dignity and sang in a solid and accurate baritone. Mexican soprano Minerva Lobato was also charming and quite amusing as Lisa, Amina’s rival for Elvino. She has a rich soprano which suits the role. Mezzo Julia Renda sang the role of Amina’s mother, Teresa, with some interesting darker colours and a sympathetic stage presence.
Standing in for the orchestra was Narmina Afandiyeva at the piano, who played indefatigably and with some flair. Robert Cooper efficiently conducted the 22-member chorus, several of whom were also playing smaller solo roles, and they sounded fine.
The Opera in Concert concept works really well when the singing is of the quality we experienced on Saturday. Naturally one would prefer an orchestra and sets and costumes, but it is an approach that allows us to hear works that we might not otherwise have a chance to experience.
Opera Canada depends on the generous contributions of its supporters to bring readers outstanding, in-depth coverage of opera in Canada and beyond. Please consider subscribing or donating today.
