La Sonnambula has many of the qualities that make for
a particularly good Romantic Opera. There is a mix of larger-than-life
personalities, an emotive score full of cheer and also pathos
and the 'extra' delights of pretty scenery, good tunes for the
chorus and the potential for coloratura 'fireworks'. If the
plot seems too simple – boy meets girl, boy leaves girl when
she sleepwalks into another man’s house, boy learns truth and
the couple reconcile ‘happily ever after’ – at least it is not
terribly convoluted. It has helped that singers who have had
success in the main parts on stage or on record tend to be larger
than life - such as Maria Callas, Beverly Sills, Joan Sutherland,
Luciano Pavarotti and more recently star singers such as Natalie
Dessay and Juan Diego Florez.
With this staging you find that the stylised movements of the
chorus are often even more distracting than in grand Zeffirelli-style
performances with the chorus toing and froing. It might have
been more effective in the opera house as when the camera pans
back the combination of set designs, which are very beautiful,
and pretty costumes - such as the yellow dresses in the first
act - would create a lovely effect. However, with the camera
zoomed in the (over)acting of the singers is frequently distracting
with the men often acting buffoonish in a way that falls flat.
Some of the male chorus members’ costumes look rather foolish
also. Perhaps a more natural style of acting would help here?
The performance of Eglise Gutierrez as Amina is quite successful.
The soprano starts off with some stock gestures but, ignoring
that, her singing is not bad, even stylish. She has some personality
and a dark voice which manages, with some mollycoddling, the
high notes and coloratura. Occasionally one wishes she would
really hit some of the high notes to inject a little bit of
drama into the performance. More troubling is that too often
she sounds behind the beat (notably the First Act). The result
lacks drama – only coming and going in ''Ah! non giunge'' for
example - but is pretty and she creates a sympathetic character
as the performance goes on.
In "Come per me sereno" she sounds totally in-tune
with the conductor while at other moments he lets her down by
losing any tension. Occasionally she is all too happy to slow
down which is not to the music’s benefit One does not need to
think back to Maria Callas or Joan Sutherland to imagine a finer
performance but taken in isolation the singer acquits herself
with some success. It is interesting to hear a darker voice
in the role although some singers like Eva Mei or Natalie Dessay
achieve more with brighter and more lyrical voices. Has the
(apparent) concept of the opera by the director as a paper-thin
plot that deserves 'stand and deliver' acting inhibited the
soprano's performance? I am somewhat surprised at her busy schedule
in the dramatic roles of Lucia di Lammermoor, Gilda in Rigoletto
or I Puritani which demand greater reserves of spontaneity and
drama – indeed Mad Scenes galore! - than is evident in her performance
here.
The tenor Antonino Siragusa acts and looks the embodiment of
a nineteenth century gent – an illustration brought to life.
Lively in recitative and having been successful in Rossini and
Donizetti he seemed well placed to give the role a try but his
singing and especially his partnership with Eglise Gutierrez
are not a compete success. Siragusa’s voice is very light-sounding
in a boyish way with choirboy purity, without a rough edge,
and little drama. Oddly enough he lacks ringing high notes -
the voice goes up to a certain level and beyond that there are
not the reserves of power or brilliance one might hope for -
instead the voice is bright and even shrill. In the case of
Juan Diego Florez the brightness is reduced by a richer chest
voice with quick vibrations. Perhaps it is something to do with
microphone placement? Legato -'smoothness' - of phrasing is
lacking in the first few items but he does improve through the
performance.
'Son geloso' etc makes for a rather mismatched pairing even
though the singers are fine in isolation with Eglise Gutierrez
sounding rich voiced and the tenor light if rather 'reedy'.
It could have been a better partnership with a lighter soprano
like Eva Mei or Sumi Jo where his good qualities - a fresh and
bright tone - would be made welcome in partnership with the
soprano and his lack of warmth or 'cushion' less obvious. As
it is, the voices do not blend very well. It would be a performance
you would applaud in the opera house as one unstinting regarding
many of the demands of the part but not one to bear competition
with famous tenors on record.
Age 58 at this performance, Simone Alaimo followed his Count
Rodolfo at Cagliari with performances as Dulcamara (L'Elisir
d'amore at the Met, Covent Garden and Catania) as well as Don
Basilio (Barber of Seville, Liege and Palermo) and Mustafa (L'Italiana
in Algeri, Florence). His aptitude for comedy is evident throughout
without being vulgar. His bass voice is lighter than Nicholai
Ghiaurov (luxury casting on the Bonynge/ Sutherland/Pavarotti
recording [Decca]) Ferruccio Furlanetto (a near contemporary)
or the younger bass Giovanni Furlanetto (who has a darker and
richer sound), but the flexibility of the voice is an asset.
There is not a great deal of drama in his performance but that
is a criticism of the set as a whole.
The conductor does a fair job without quite gelling the elements
on stage and pit. There are times when the orchestra pushes
ahead and the chorus sounds rushed. Occasionally the orchestra
wallows somewhat in the beautiful tunes and the singers – notably
the soprano – are still behind the beat. Richard Bonynge had
the advantage of multiple retakes [Decca]– his is a studio recording
– as did Antonio Votto [EMI] who had a finer orchestra at La
Scala.
This is an enjoyable enough set but not one I should imagine
you would watch over and over. The different elements- the staging,
singing, and conducting - are all variable with the overall
effect being somewhat disappointing.
David Bennett
Amina - Eglise Gutierrez 
