The fear is that if she wakes she will surely fall to her death. In the opera Alcina, a sleepwalker, sings this beautiful opera while in peril crossing a high bridge. Apocryphally, composer Frederic Chopin asked for this aria to be played for him while he was on his deathbed. Three nights in a row Hosokawa sees Roxane perform in La Sonnambula, never approaching her. The soprano is disheveled in her evening gown – a look that becomes Roxane’s uniform throughout the novel. In the opera Lucia’s mental unraveling was caused by her captivity in an unwanted marriage. The famous mad scene is a demanding showcase for coloratura sopranos. Hosokawa falls in love with the voice of Roxane Coss when his daughter buys him a copy of Lucia di Lamermoor. Spoilers abound, but just enough that you can find the connection. We’ve compiled a playlist of some of the music found in the story. Ann Patchett’s novel Bel Canto isn’t about opera per se, but opera is so heavily featured it almost acts as another character.
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