United States Bellini, La Sonnambula: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera / Riccardo Frizza (conductor). Metropolitan Opera, New York, 6.10.2025. (RP)
With Bellini, it is all about the voice, and the Metropolitan Opera hit the mark with its new production of La Sonnambula. Nadine Sierra as Amina and Xabier Anduaga as Elvino wowed with the beauty of their singing and the emotional impact of their performances. Rolando Villazón’s concept breaks with the idyllic charm of the opera’s Alpine setting, but it has an icy power all its own.
Villazón’s La Sonnambula was first seen at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris in 2021, then in Nice in 2022 and Dresden in 2023. Originally slated for the Met’s 2023-24 season, it was postponed due to budgetary reasons. It was worth the wait considering the cast the Met was able to assemble for this season, especially Xabier Anduaga as Elvino. The Spanish tenor only made his Met debut in 2023 as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore. The two roles are opposites in terms of temperament, but Anduaga’s versatility is impressive, as is his voice.
The action takes place in a secluded village high in the Swiss Alps in winter, and realistic projections of mountains, glaciers and snow serve to provide the setting for a small town. The townsfolk are cut of staunch Calvinist cloth, wearing dark clothes and sticking to the moral straight and narrow. The sense of claustrophobia is heightened by the walls of snow that encase the village. Strangers are few and unwelcome.
The village is preparing for the marriage of Amina to Elvino, but scandal tosses those plans asunder when Amina is found sleeping in the town square in the robe of another man. He is Count Rodolfo, son of the former lord of the manor, who is traveling incognito. Neither he nor Amina can convince the townspeople of her innocence. She is shunned, and a black X is painted across the white door of her home. The townspeople are an unforgiving lot.
Elvino calls off the wedding and quickly decides to marry Lisa. His new bride boasts of not being found wearing a strange man’s robe, only to have Amina’s mother, Teresa, produce Lisa’s scarf which was found in Rodolfo’s robe. Elvino despairs at being betrayed for a second time, until Amina appears in a somnambulist trance. Convinced of Amina’s innocence, Elvino puts the ring, which he had taken from her, on her finger. Amina, however, heads to the ladder leaning high against the snow, intent on escape.
Villazón knows a thing or two about what it takes to flatter a singer’s voice, and singing in a three-sided box, basically a sound shell, is one of them. All of the singers sounded wonderful, starting with Sierra, who floated across the stage, a vision in white, as lithe as dancer Niara Hardister whose movements mirrored the fleeting emotions that Amina experienced from joy to sorrow and, finally, liberation.
Sierra’s soprano was rounded and full of sunshine as she readied herself for her wedding to Elvino. In her opening aria, ‘Come per me sereno / oggi rinacque il di!’, Sierra expressed ecstasy and introspection in her lithe soprano that glowed with delight and shimmered softly when expressing more gentle sentiments. The ovation that followed the aria was long and exuberant, quelled only by a subtle signal from Sierra that the show must go on.
Anina’s final aria, ‘Ah! non credea mirarti / sì presto estinto, o fiore’, which translates to ‘I did not believe you would fade so soon, oh flower’, is the most famous aria in the opera. (The words are inscribed on the tomb of the composer, who died suddenly at the age of 34.) Sierra sang the opening cavatina with a voice that was delicate and hauntingly beautiful. The long lines of melody were suspended in air. In the following cabaletta, Sierra dazzled with her rapid-fire virtuosity, elegant filigree and the stunning high notes that adorned the melodic lines. The ovation Sierra received was even more enthusiastic than the previous one, but she nipped it more or less in the bud.
Anduaga’s stiff and unyielding Elvino was an unlikable prig, but he sounded magnificent. His molten sound was suffused with emotions that intensified as he sang Bellini’s soaring phrases. He and Sierra infused their first-act duet, ‘Prendi: l’anel ti dono / che un dì recava all’ara’ with passion, ending it on astounding pianissimos. Anduaga expressed Elvino’s despair in ‘Ah perché non posso odiarti’ with heart-breaking poignancy, topped by a ringing high note and the orchestra playing with all pistons firing.
Alexander Vinogradov was at his impressive best with his sympathetic Count Rodolfo and commanding bass. Sydney Mancasola’s Lisa was perky and petulant, with the mezzo-soprano generating her fair share of vocal excitement with her brilliant tone and fiery coloratura. As Teresa, Deborah Nansteel sang with as much fervor as she acted. Bass-baritone Nicholas Newton made his Met debut as Alessio, and his vibrant stage persona and impressive voice made an impact.
Conductor Riccardo Frizza’s fluidity and ease with bel canto style were on full display. The opening scenes were a nonstop flow of beautiful melodies. He supported the singers magnificently as they spun Bellini’s glorious vocal lines, giving them the breadth to be at their most expressive. The Met Orchestra was at its inestimable best, with some especially fine playing from the horns.
As with Mason Bate’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (review here), this most beautiful of Bellini’s operas is a must-see. The performance on 18th October will be broadcast to cinemas worldwide Live in HD and for more information click here.
Rick Perdian
Featured Image: A scene from Bellini’s La Sonnambula © Marty Sohl/Met Opera
Production:
Production – Rolando Villazón
Sets – Johannes Leiacker
Costumes – Brigitte Reiffenstuel
Lighting – Donald Holder
Projection – Renaud Rubiano
Chorus director – Tilman Michael
Cast:
Lisa – Sydney Mancasola
Alessio – Nicholas Newton
Amina – Nadine Sierra
Teresa – Deborah Nansteel
Notary – Scott Scully
Elvino – Xabier Anduaga
Count Rodolfo – Alexander Vinogradov
Solo dancer – Niara Hardister
A thrilling experience seeing Nadine Sierra and Xabier Anduaga perform. I didn’t know the human voice could go that high.