La sonnambula "Opera in 2 Acts" - Vincenzo Bellini "Historical recording 1952"

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Composition Year: 1831
First Performance: 1831-03-06 in Milan, Teatro Carcano
Performers: Cesare Siepi - IL Conte Rodolfo • Anna Maria Anelli - Teresa • Lina Pagliughi - Amina • Ferruccio Tagliavini - Elvino • Wanda Ruggeri - Lisa • Pier Luigi Latinucci - Alessio • Armando Benzi - Un Notaro • Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della Rai • Franco Capuanna - Conductor.
Recorded: 1952, Torino
Recording quality: Medium
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ACT I.
1. Coro d'Introduzione - Viva Amina!
2. Recitativo e Cavatina - Care compagne, e voi... Sovra il sen la man mi posa
3. Recitativo - Io più di tutti
4. Recitativo e Duetto - Perdona, o mia diletta... Prendi: l'anel ti dono
5. Recitativo e Cavatina - Domani, appena aggiorni... Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni... Tu non sai con quei begli occhi
6. Recitativo e Coro - Contezza del paese... A fosco cielo
7. Recitativo e Duetto - Basta così... Son geloso del zefiro
8. Scena - Finale Primo - Davver, non mi dispiace
9. Recitativo e Duetto - Che veggio? Saria forse... Oh, ciel! che tento?
10 Quintetto - È menzogna!
11. Stretta del Finale Primo - Non più nozze
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ACT II.
1. Coro d'Introduzione - Qui la selva è più folta
2. Scena ed Aria - Reggimi, o buona madre... Pasci il guardo e appaga l'alma
3. Quartetto - E fie pur vero, Elvino... Signor conte, agli occhi miei
4. Scena ed Aria Finale - Signor?... che creder deggio
5. Ah! non credea mirarti
6. Ah! non giunge
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Work:
La sonnambula (The Sleepwalker) is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the Bel Canto tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ballet-pantomime written by Eugène Scribe and choreographed by Jean-Pierre Aumer called La somnambule, ou L'arrivée d'un nouveau seigneur. The ballet had premiered in Paris in September 1827 at the height of a fashion for stage works incorporating somnambulism.

The role of Amina was originally written for the soprano sfogato Giuditta Pasta and the tenor Giovanni Battista Rubini, but during Bellini's lifetime another soprano sfogato, Maria Malibran, was a notable exponent of the role. The first performance took place at the Teatro Carcano in Milan on 6 March 1831.

The majority of twentieth-century recordings have been made with a soprano cast as Amina, usually with added top-notes and other changes according to tradition, although it was released in soprano sfogato voice (not to be confused with the modern mezzo, nonexistent at the time) who sang soprano and contralto roles unmodified.

The phrase Ah! non credea mirarti / Sì presto estinto, o fiore ("I did not believe you would fade so soon, oh flower") from Amina's final aria is inscribed on Bellini's tomb in the Catania Cathedral in Sicily.

Returning to Milan after the I Capuleti e i Montecchi performances in March 1830, little occurred until the latter part of April when Bellini was able to negotiate a contract with both the Milan house for the autumn of 1831 and another for the 1832 Carnival season at La Fenice in Venice; these operas were to become Norma for La Scala and Beatrice di Tenda for Venice. Writing to his uncle in Sicily, the composer reported that "I shall earn almost twice as much as if I had composed [only for the Venetian impresario]".
Source: wikipedia

Extended info on this work: https://bit.ly/3obA0DQ

Biography:
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was an Italian opera composer, who was known for his long-flowing melodic lines for which he was named "the Swan of Catania". Many years later, in 1898, Giuseppe Verdi "praised the broad curves of Bellini's melody: 'there are extremely long melodies as no-one else had ever made before'."

After his initial success in Naples, most of the rest of his short life was spent outside of both Sicily and Naples, those years being followed with his living and composing in Milan and Northern Italy, and—after a visit to London—then came his final masterpiece in Paris, I puritani. Only nine months later, Bellini died in Puteaux, France at the age of 33.
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Extended biography: https://bit.ly/3Ikd5O5
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ATTRIBUTION
The music is licensed under creative commons' attribution noncommercial no derivatives 3.0. Attributable to: Cetra art Recording / Fonit Cetra