Thread: La Sonnambula on DVD

This appears to be the best DVD of La Sonnambula available. Amina (Eglise Gutierrez) is amazing, so this one will be on my to-buy list hoping the price will come down on used copies someday (it is a more recent production):



Meanwhile, I purchased this one for a very reasonable price ($1.75 USD used) and Amina (Eva Mei) sings beautifully on it, but the staging is quirky at best:


It is also available for more money in a newer release:


But as this is my first La Sonnambula, it will do quite nicely to get acquainted with this opera.

Originally Posted by JohnGerald

The tenor is horrible!!

Maybe so, though I don't find him terrible, though certainly not exceptional. But I have to whet my appetite for this opera in anticipation of finding a deal on the best one. Eva Mei is wonderful and it cost less than a CD of the opera which is how I had been introducing myself to operas. I did read the mixed if not negative online reviews too.

The Oren Sonnambula DVD finally arrived and I listened to some parts. I can see already that any deficiencies in the tenor are more than made up for by the absolutely wonderful voice of Eva Mei. I have no regrets. The tenor is not exceptional, but certainly adequate.

Well, we must not have any La Sonnambula lovers here at TalkClassical. I am loving this opera very much and really enjoy Eva Mei's voice, so much that I don't know that I even want the other DVD I first listed at the top. I am sure it is wonderful but it will never top Eva Mei. I had to get a CD of the opera though and so found a nice deal from NAXOS featuring Luba Orgonosova as Amina:

The music and singing in this opera are wonderful!

I still can't figure on this whole site, nobody seems interested in this wonderful music. I am stuck on the NAXOs CD posted above, am playing it over and over, just can't leave it alone, it is beautiful. Luba is a great soprano, but I sure wish they had the soundtrack of the DVD with Eva Mei--her voice is absolutely beautiful on that DVD.

Trying to add to my Sonnambula DVD collection. I have Eva Mei and Anna Moffo is on order. As much as I like the Dessay Sonnambula on CD I can't bring myself to get it on DVD because they modernized it. Guess I'll have to pony up the bucks and get the Gutierrez Sonnambula I posted an image of at the beginning of this thread.

My only recording is this

One of those "so good I do not need another". But, ohimè, no DVD version.

Originally Posted by Florestan

Trying to add to my Sonnambula DVD collection. I have Eva Mei and Anna Moffo is on order. As much as I like the Dessay Sonnambula on CD I can't bring myself to get it on DVD because they modernized it. Guess I'll have to pony up the bucks and get the Gutierrez Sonnambula I posted an image of at the beginning of this thread.

I have the blu-ray with Gutierrez. It's a simple yet beautiful productction that really captures the feeling of being in a rural Swiss village. The cast is strong all round and Gutierrez' singing in particular is excellent. Her "Ah non credea" in the end is very moving.

Originally Posted by Pugg

Would you be so kind to give some more details, can't find a single thing about this item

Do you mean about the production?
The sets and costumes are traditional, bright and beautiful, giving a real feeling of a rural community. I found the singing to be excellent as well. Gutierrez has a lovely distinctive, dark voice with a seamless legato and is every bit the innocent Amina. Her acting can be a bit old-fashioned for some tastes, but her singing in the last scene is very moving. Siragusa (who plays Elvino) tends to get a bit nasal in the very top notes, but otherwise his tone is clear, warm and pleasant. Simone Alaimo makes a charming Count Rodolfo with his light bass (bass-baritone?) voice. Benini is his usual excellent self conducting a bel canto opera.

I found this clip on YouTube:


If you mean where to get the DVD, it's this one.