Vincenzo Bellini: Norma, Live from Royal Opera House, Phoenix Picturehouse, Oxford, 26 September 2016.
Norma, Bellini’s finest and one of the greatest of bel canto operas is still rarely played since Maria Callas made it her own. It requires not one but two superb sopranos, the title role and only slightly less demanding role of Adalgisa. My records show that I have seen it once before, a Welsh National Opera production by Serban in 1985 in a worthy effort by Suzanne Murphy and Kathryn Harries. In the new Royal Opera House production, seen in the Phoenix Picturehouse in Oxford, Norma was to have been sung by Anna Netrebko but she backed out feeling she was not ready for the role. Instead it was given to the thirty-four-year-old Bulgarian soprano Sonia Yoncheva. She proved a resounding success.
Oroveso, leader of the Druids, wishes to wage war against the Romans occupying Gaul. His daughter, High Priestess Norma tries to dissuade him, not least because of a long-standing liaison with a Roman consul Pollione by whom she has had two children (now old enough to appear on stage). Pollione has tired of Norma in favour of Adalgisa, her best friend and fellow priestess. Complications ensue when Adalgisa confesses to Norma her love for a Roman and reveals that it is Pollione with whom she proposes to travel to Rome. Norma takes this badly, contemplating murdering her children and initiates uprising against the Romans. Learning the truth, Adalgisa rejects Pollione and is reconciled with Norma. Pollione is captured and is to be sacrificed. Norma takes his place on the funeral pyre but Pollione rediscovers his love and joins her in death. The kids are left to be brought up by their grandfather Oroveso.
In the ROH production, directed by Alex Ollé, the time is brought up to vaguely that of the Spanish Inquisition, the set design by Alfons Flores consisting of a large number of crucifixes with a big swinging censer. This does not matter since the psychological drama is in the words and the music. The conductor is Antonio Pappano, guaranteeing an authentic bel canto accompaniment.
The singing from a strong cast was uniformly good. Analgisa was sung by Sonia Ganassi, a perfect foil to Yoncheva as was Vlada Borovko as Norma’s confidante Clotilde. Of the men, Oroveso was played by veteran Brindley Sherratt and Joseph Calleja was impressive as Pollione. The young Korean David Junghoon Kim caught the attention as Pollione’s companion Flavio.
Yoncheva established her mastery of her role with a compelling performance of the trademark Casta Diva which occurs early in the opera Her voice has a different timbre to Callas but no less thrilling. But what establishes the greatness of this operatic drama is the conclusion to Act I, when Adalgisa reveals that Pollione is her lover, unaware of his relationship with Norma. The tension is almost unbearable.
The cinema presentation is a straight forward filming of the stage action so one could concentrate on the musical performance.
Norma, Bellini’s finest and one of the greatest of bel canto operas is still rarely played since Maria Callas made it her own. It requires not one but two superb sopranos, the title role and only slightly less demanding role of Adalgisa. My records show that I have seen it once before, a Welsh National Opera production by Serban in 1985 in a worthy effort by Suzanne Murphy and Kathryn Harries. In the new Royal Opera House production, seen in the Phoenix Picturehouse in Oxford, Norma was to have been sung by Anna Netrebko but she backed out feeling she was not ready for the role. Instead it was given to the thirty-four-year-old Bulgarian soprano Sonia Yoncheva. She proved a resounding success.
Oroveso, leader of the Druids, wishes to wage war against the Romans occupying Gaul. His daughter, High Priestess Norma tries to dissuade him, not least because of a long-standing liaison with a Roman consul Pollione by whom she has had two children (now old enough to appear on stage). Pollione has tired of Norma in favour of Adalgisa, her best friend and fellow priestess. Complications ensue when Adalgisa confesses to Norma her love for a Roman and reveals that it is Pollione with whom she proposes to travel to Rome. Norma takes this badly, contemplating murdering her children and initiates uprising against the Romans. Learning the truth, Adalgisa rejects Pollione and is reconciled with Norma. Pollione is captured and is to be sacrificed. Norma takes his place on the funeral pyre but Pollione rediscovers his love and joins her in death. The kids are left to be brought up by their grandfather Oroveso.
In the ROH production, directed by Alex Ollé, the time is brought up to vaguely that of the Spanish Inquisition, the set design by Alfons Flores consisting of a large number of crucifixes with a big swinging censer. This does not matter since the psychological drama is in the words and the music. The conductor is Antonio Pappano, guaranteeing an authentic bel canto accompaniment.
The singing from a strong cast was uniformly good. Analgisa was sung by Sonia Ganassi, a perfect foil to Yoncheva as was Vlada Borovko as Norma’s confidante Clotilde. Of the men, Oroveso was played by veteran Brindley Sherratt and Joseph Calleja was impressive as Pollione. The young Korean David Junghoon Kim caught the attention as Pollione’s companion Flavio.
Yoncheva established her mastery of her role with a compelling performance of the trademark Casta Diva which occurs early in the opera Her voice has a different timbre to Callas but no less thrilling. But what establishes the greatness of this operatic drama is the conclusion to Act I, when Adalgisa reveals that Pollione is her lover, unaware of his relationship with Norma. The tension is almost unbearable.
The cinema presentation is a straight forward filming of the stage action so one could concentrate on the musical performance.