Teatro Nuovo continues its Bellini cycle with a lively ‘La Sonnambula’

STEVEN PISANO

Teresa Castillo starred as Amina, with Christopher Bozeka as Elvino, in Teatro Nuovo’s “La Sonnambula.”

Will Crutchfield produces his own brand of Italian bel canto through his unique performance ensemble, Teatro Nuovo. Its third opera season, July 19-24, featured a sprawling Shakespearean lyric drama, Giuseppe Verdi’s “Macbeth” (1847 version); and a compact work of grace and charm, Vincenzo Bellini’s “La Sonnambula.”

Both were presented in their rarely heard original versions, July 19-20 at The Alexander Kasser Theater at Montclair State University and July 23-24 at New York City Center.

Led by general and artistic director Crutchfield, New York-based Teatro Nuovo is the only company in the world dedicated to mounting historically informed performances of music from Italy’s 19th century, also known as the ottocento in Italian. Its performing style guarantees that nothing is skated over, with the use of authentic period instruments (gut strings instead of metal, wooden woodwinds, and natural horns with no valves, etc.) and a historical orchestral layout of the musicians. This gives bel canto fans a rare opportunity to hear these ottocento beauties restored to their splendor and matched to the high technical standard they deserve.

When it comes to staging familiar works like “Sonnambula,” Crutchfield is fond of exploring new interpretations. Bellini left behind a trove of literature that helped Crutchfield portray this opera in the best light; using Bellini’s autograph score and the first editions, he restored some musical and vocal passages that traditionally have been deleted from the standard editions.

STEVEN PISANO

Teatro Nuovo artistic and general director Will Crutchfield and violinist-director Elisa Citterio.

“Sonnambula,” performed in Montclair on July 20, continued the Bellini cycle that began last season with “I Capuleti e i Montecchi.” In some respects, “I Capuleti” is an unconventional bel canto opera (no cabaletta or vocal fireworks; a restrained final scene; two women in the lead roles), while “Sonnambula” is fairly conventional.

This is partly the reason its popularity has fluctuated over the centuries. After a successful premiere in 1831, it disappeared from the repertoire by the early 20th century, dismissed as a simplistic pastoral romance.

The story, written by Bellini’s faithful librettist Felice Romani, is based on a ballet pantomime, “La Sonnambule” (1816), by French dramatist Eugène Scribe. It is set in an Alpine village in Switzerland in the early 19th century. Amina, who is engaged to Elvino, is found in another man’s room on the night of their betrothal. Elvino accuses her of unfaithfulness and breaks off the engagement, but it is eventually revealed that she was sleepwalking. Elvino begs for forgiveness and the opera ends, happily ever after.

As an opera semiseria — a musical drama with some comic elements and a happy ending — there is little dramatic characterization compared to works by Bellini’s bel canto peers. All of that changed in the 1950s when Maria Callas revived it and added dramatic intensity, tenderness and depth. It has held a secure place in the bel canto repertory ever since.

STEVEN PISANO

Teresa Castillo in “La Sonnambula.”

Like all Bellini operas, “La Sonnombula” has no shortage of florid music, cantabile singing and melodic charm. A lively performance by a strong cast made the most of Romani’s tidy text and the Bellinian cantilenas with their long-spun sweetness, plus some stratospheric vocal leaps here and there.

Bellini had composed the lead roles with the vocal abilities of his favorite singers in mind: Amina was written for Giuditta Pasta and Elvino for Giovanni Battista Rubini. Bellini used their tessituras to the fullest, particularly Rubini, whose range was stratospheric. From the 1870s onward, however, Elvino’s music has been transposed a bit lower in the standard editions.

Here it was restored to its original pitch, which influenced two scenes: his “Prendi: l’anel ti dono” cavatina and the tender duet with Amina, sung by soprano Teresa Castillo, “Vedi, o madre.” Tenor Christopher Bozeka, as Elvino, seemed mostly secure in the vocally taxing transpositions, with good control of Bellini’s textures and rhythms. He even found the thrilling head voice that Rubini was famous for. “Ah! perchè non posso odiarti” was sung in supple, expressive grace, and his warmth felt genuine in the “Son geloso del zefiro” duet.

Castillo’s voice boasts a darker-tinged coloring and dramatic force within a compact bel canto frame, and the sleepwalking heroine role was the perfect vehicle for her to sing Bellini’s long-drawn legato phrases. The finale “Ah! non giunge” was beautifully sung with tasteful embellishments, and she effortlessly rode the coloratura climaxes with rhythmic flexibility. At other times she was sweetly cantabile with a silken musical finish to her voice, like in the “Come per me sereno” entrance cavatina. Her famous sleepwalking aria “Ah! non credea mirarti” was sensitively phrased.

STEVEN PISANO

Abigail Raiford and Owen Phillipson in “La Sonnambula.”

Lisa, the village innkeeper, was given more agency. Her two arias, usually abbreviated and sometimes omitted, were fully restored and her character felt like a true rival to Amina. Soprano Abigail Raiford sang with ravishing sonority and a beautiful sheen, offering proof that Bellini doesn’t always need to be sung softly and supplely.

Raiford played the role as a spirited and petulant vamp, and was fun and flirty in her scenes with the mysterious Count Rodolfo, sung by bass-baritone Owen Phillipson. An elegant “Vi ravviso” showed off his precision and the clean lyricism of his voice.

Alessio, the villager who is in love with Lisa, was sung by bass-baritone Vincent Graña in suave tonalities. All leads — including Abigail Lysinger as Teresa, singing in a pleasantly warm mezzo-soprano — came together for a “D’un pensiero” quintet that was powerfully distilled.

A streamlined production created very little Alpine flavor or Swiss kitsch. Simple but adequate scenography included projections of Alessandro Sanquirico’s scenic designs used for an 1831 production at Teatro alla Scala. Principals wore glam looks inspired by fashion of the 1930s and ’40s, including velvet smoking jackets and long silky gowns in jewel tones.

Under the direction of Derrick Goff, the young singers from Teatro Nuovo’s artist training program were high-spirited and dynamic. Their first chorus (“Viva Amina!”) sounded like a rousing tarantella. They wore modern separates that veered toward a brightly colored comic book palette — possibly a nod to the high color of Bellini’s coloratura and the comedic tones of the music.

STEVEN PISANO

Perry Sutton, left, and Steven Marquardt playing 19th century keyed trumpets.

The lighter dramatic shading of “Sonnambula” sat well with the period instruments and the orchestra’s house style. Playing the score in its original keys made some differences in the general textures of the music and mood, giving it a softly rounded warmth.

With violinist-director Elisa Citterio and Crutchfield on keyboard leading, there was no loss of conviction or interpretive power in the orchestra. Every instrument found its own voice with well-articulated passagework. Citterio led with a natural beat, and a springy, airy rubato captured the freshness of the Alpine setting.

One of the biggest restorations was a pastoral duet for two trumpets that introduces the scena and aria for Elvino in Act II. Here they were played on trombe a chiavi, which translates to keyed trumpets in English — a precursor of the modern orchestral trumpets that were used in Italy in the 1830s and 40s. This addition, plus the full-bodied tonalities of the woodwinds and the brass, was effective in scene-painting Bellini’s Alpine idylls.

While the music did not always carry the breathtaking control and balance of a modern orchestral dynamic, it aptly captured the ottocento spirit of bel canto. And of course, the performance was accurate in every way.

For more about Teatro Nuovo, visit teatronuovo.org.

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