On October 18th, MET LIVE IN KINO brilliantly launches into a new season with Vincenzo Bellini's LA SONNAMBULA ("The Sleepwalker"). In this belcanto masterpiece, distinguished by its lyrical intensity and technically demanding coloraturas, Bellini demonstrates his full melodic genius.
Vincenzo Bellini (1801 - 1835) was a Sicilian composer who possessed an extraordinary gift for melodies and a deep understanding of the human voice. However, his meteoric career was cut short by his early death at the age of only 33. Bellini's operatic jewel LA SONNAMBULA, premiered in Milan in 1831, was extremely successful during the composer's lifetime and remains part of the standard opera repertoire to this day. It combines rapturous sensibility with virtuosic vocal technique and is considered a prototype of Italian Romanticism.
The opera is set in a Swiss mountain village and tells the story of the sleepwalking Amina, who - falsely accused of infidelity - is rejected by her fiancé Elvino before her innocence can be proven.
The role of Amina is considered one of the great belcanto parts and requires a prima donna with extraordinary technical and dramatic talent, combined with the highest coloratura virtuosity. Thus, this role with its seemingly endlessly flowing melodic arcs is perfectly suited for the fantastic Nadine Sierra, who captivates her audience with her warm soprano, flawless technique, and exuberant musicality.
No less demanding is the role of Elvino, sung by the Spaniard Xabier Anduaga, the new star in the tenor firmament. He possesses a beautifully timbred, incredibly colorful voice, enchanting pianissimos and breathtaking high notes, and has conquered the world's great opera stages within just a few years.
Rolando Villazón, who has begun a brilliant second career as a director, breathes new life into the unfortunately rarely performed Bellini opera with a fresh production. In his direction, he makes very precisely clear how prejudices are stirred up, how groups of people turn against outsiders, reject them, and in the worst case, rob them of their life's happiness. A treatment of individuality that is found not only in the spatial and mental confines of a Swiss mountain village.
At the podium stands Riccardo Frizza, one of the leading Italian conductors of his generation, who particularly devotes himself to the belcanto opera repertoire.
The Met season 2025/2026 will be broadcast live to over 200 screens in Germany and Austria. Ticket presales have begun. The list of participating cinemas and further information can be found at www.metimkino.de
Program dates for MET LIVE IM KINO Season 2025/2026:
- 18 October: Bellini LA SONNAMBULA (Nadine Sierra, Xabier Anduaga)
- 8 November: Puccini LA BOHÈME (Juliana Grigoryan, Freddie De Tommaso)
- 22 November: Strauss ARABELLA (Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Tomasz Konieczny)
- 13 December: Giordano ANDREA CHÉNIER (Sonya Yoncheva, Piotr Beczala)
- 10 January: Bellini I PURITANI (Lisette Oropesa, Lawrence Brownlee)
- 21 March: Wagner TRISTAN UND ISOLDE (Lise Davidsen, Michael Spyres)
- 2 May: Tschaikowski EUGEN ONEGIN (Asmik Grigorian, Igor Golovatenko)
- 30 May: Frank EL ÚLTIMO SUEÑO DE FRIDA Y DIEGO (Isabel Leonard, Carlos Álvarez, Nils Wanderer)
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