For gorgeous melody, spellbinding coloratura, and virtuoso vocal fireworks, I Puritani has few equals. The Met has assembled a world-beating quartet of stars, conducted by Marco Armiliato, for the demanding principal roles. Soprano Lisette Oropesa and tenor Lawrence Brownlee are Elvira and Arturo, brought together by love and torn apart by the political rifts of the English Civil War, with baritone Artur Ruciński as Riccardo, betrothed to Elvira against her will, and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as Elvira’s sympathetic uncle, Giorgio.
First heard in Paris in 1835, I Puritani was the final work from Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835), the great Sicilian exponent of the bel canto style of opera. It was written specifically for the talents of four of the best singers of its day, and the opera’s success depends almost entirely on the vocal abilities (and artistic sensibilities) of the performers. Its depiction of madness—both in individuals and in communities—is extraordinary: The opera suggests that the veneer of sanity can slip away at any moment, that madness can plunge a person into a destructive abyss. The composer had the opportunity to enjoy the success of I Puritani before his untimely death from illness at the age of 34.
Tune in for a live performance from the stage of The Metropolitan Opera in New York, Saturday, January 10, at 1 p.m.
