Ileana Cotrubas - Bellini: LA SONNAMBULA, Come per me sereno, 1981, High E-flat

THE MUSIC: Bellini's "La Sonnambula" is a gem in the sub-genre of sentimental Italian opera semiseria. The opera premiered in Milan in 1831 with Giuditta Pasta as Amina, the sleepwalking character referred to in the title. The role is long and contains bel canto music demanding both aching lyricism and florid fireworks. Amina appears in the opera soon after the curtain rises with this multi-part aria that establishes her gracious character. She is admired by the villagers as they prepare for her wedding to Elvino. THE SONGBIRD: Romanian soprano Ileana Cotrubas born into a musical family in 1939 and sang as a soloist in children's radio choir. She made her professional debut in 1964 with the Bucharest Opera as Yniold in Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande," and sang other lyric-coloratura roles there such as Oscar, Gilda, and Blondchen. Cotrubas won voice competitions in Netherlands and Munich in 1965 and 1966, and appeared as Konstanze and Pamina in Brussels in 1967. She rose quickly to prime engagements in Vienna, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, and the Salzburg and Glyndebourne Festivals. Tatyana in "Eugene Onegin" was her debut at Covent Garden in 1971. Her debut role in Paris in 1974 was Manon. Her U.S. debut came in 1973 in Chicago as Mimi -- this was also the role for her Met debut in 1977 and her sensational debut at La Scala in 1975 where she stepped in for Mirella Freni at extremely short notice. Cotrubas appeared in nearly all of the world's top opera houses, festivals, and concert halls and made stacks of commercial recordings in her prime. This selection is from a live performance in London in 1981. Cotrubas's rendition of the final sleepwalking scene can be found on other channels on YouTube.