Bellini's 'La Sonnambula' is one of the top operas in the bel canto repertoire and is now being performed for the first time in community theatre. Using the generic term "semi-seria" (semi-serious) common at the time, the authors draw attention to the fact that while they are dealing with serious material here, a happy ending is certain! In the only superficially naive plot and artificial musical language, director Ansgar Weigner seeks deeper layers of meaning and topical statements in his production.

The opera is set in an idyllic Swiss mountain village. But the idyll is shaken when the young bride Amina is found sleeping in a count's hotel room the day before her wedding. As a result, her jealous fiancé Elvino ejects her and the village community attacks Amina with derision and moral contempt. Only when it turns out that Amina is a nightwalker does her suspicions of infidelity fall away and the wedding can be celebrated.

At its premiere in Milan in 1831, the opera, which Bellini composed especially for the then-famous prima donna Giuditta Pasta, was an enthusiastic success. Highly virtuosic colouraturas, broad melodies and high notes characterise this masterpiece of bel canto and unfold an almost sensual effect on the audience.