Having steadfastly built her reputation as a major performer in the pyrotechnic coloratura roles, Natalie Dessay is at a turning point in her career and is exploring, to great international recognition, the more “lyrical roles”, such as Amina, one of the great Bellini heroines.

After her immense success as Lucia in Paris in the Autumn 2006 under the direction of Evelino Pidò, Natalie Dessay and the Italian maestro furthered their musical collaboration with a concert version of Bellini’s La sonnambula first at Lyon and later in Paris. The recording was made in Lyon on the event of these performances.

Natalie Dessay stars in this critical edition of Bellini’s Sonnambula, which was produced by Alessandro Roccatagliati and Luca Zoppelli. It has restored two major parts of Elvino’s role (the cavatina “Prendi: l’anel ti dono” and the beautiful duettino between Amina and Elvino “Vedi o madre”) to their original tessitura. This edition was first produced in August 2004 in Santa Fe, precisely with Natalie Dessay in the title role under the direction of Evelino Pidò.

Forumopera.com states: “The rest of the cast calls for congratulations: it is of a remarkable level.” Indeed it introduces a young 25 year-old Italian tenor, Francesco Meli, at the threshold of a very promising career, and gathers several talents of the opera world such as Jaël Azzaretti and Sara Miingardo, Carlo Colombari and Paul Gay.

The complete recording was released in November 2007