Elizabeth Futral finesses Bellini's catchy coloratura

THE SONGBIRD: Elizabeth Futral was born in North Carolina in 1963, but grew up in Louisiana. She studied with the legendary Virginia Zeani and was a winner in the national Met Auditions in 1991. Her New York City Opera debut was Gilda in 1992. Her European debut was as Lakmé in Dublin in 1993 (available on this YT channel). The following year she sang Lakmé to acclaim in the New York City Opera production. Futral has had a very active and adventurous career in opera houses and concert halls around the world. Her Met debut was Lucia in 1999. She has sung nearly all of the standard lyric-coloratura roles, as well as been in revivals of uncommon works (Rossini's "Matilde di Shabran," Meyerbeer's "L'etoile du nord," Halévy's "Le Juive," Berlioz's "Benvenuti Cellini") and premiered new works (Dun's "The First Emperor" at the Met, Previn's "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Brief Encounter," Laitman’s "Scarlett Letter," and Gordon's "Twenty-Seven" as Alice B. Toklas).

THE MUSIC: "I puritani" was Bellini's last opera. It premiered in Paris in January 1835, and Bellini died in September 1835 at the age of 33. It was tremendously successful and the opera was performed regularly throughout Europe and in New York until the early 1900s. It went mostly dormant until it caught the public's attention during the bel canto revival ignited by Maria Callas and carried forward by Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills, Edita Gruberova, and others. The aria "Son vergin vezzosa" is a joyous "polacca" (polonaise) in Act I where Elvira sings in elaborate fashion about her lovely wedding garb. This triggers a plot device whereby Elvira's wedding veil is used to disguise another woman so she can escape the castle with Arturo as her protector. Since Arturo is Elvira's fiancé, she thinks he has betrayed her and goes mad.

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