Bellini: Norma | Caballè, Vickers, Veasey - Patane (Theatre Antique d'Orange 1974)

Composer: Vincenzo Bellini
Librettist: Felice Romani
Premiere: 26 December 1831, Milan (La Scala)
Language: Italian
Subtitles: Italian, English (Click on CC to choose the subtitles)

Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after Norma, ossia L'infanticidio (Norma, or The Infanticide) by Alexandre Soumet. Norma is an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition.

Cast & Characters:
Norma - Montserrat Caballé
Adalgisa - Josephine Veasey
Pollione - Jon Vickers
Oroveso - Agostino Ferrin
Clotilde - Marisa Zotti
Flavio - Gino Sinimberghi

Teatro Regio di Torino Orchestra & Chorus
Conductor: Giuseppe Patanè
Director: Pierre Jourdan
Theatre Antique d'Orange July 20th, 1974

The title role—"one of the most taxing and wide-ranging parts in the entire repertory"—is one of the most difficult in the soprano repertoire. The German soprano Lilli Lehmann once remarked that the singing of all three Brünnhilde roles of Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen in one evening would be less stressful than the singing of one Norma.

The Premiere cast in the main roles were; Giuditta Pasta, for whom the role of Norma was created, Domenico Donzelli as Pollione, Giulia Grisi as Adalgisa, and Vincenzo Negrini as Oroveso. Among the well known singers of Norma of the first half of the 20th century was Rosa Ponselle who played the role in New York and London. During the later 20th century, with the bel canto revival, the most prolific Norma was the Greek-American soprano Maria Callas, who gave 89 stage performances (several of which exist on live recordings as well as two on studio versions made in 1954 and 1960). Notable exponents of the title role during the 60'-70's were Leyla Gencer, Joan Sutherland, and Montserrat Caballé.

SYNOPSIS: Place: Gaul
Time: c. 100-50 BC (Roman occupation)

ACT I: Gaul during the Roman occupation. Pollione, the Roman consul, has abandoned Norma, the Druid high priestess (by whom he has two sons) in favour of Adalgisa, an acolyte. Norma is unaware of Pollione's infidelity. Despite ominous dreams, Pollione decides to take Adalgisa back to Rome and marry her. Norma is shattered to discover that Adalgisa's lover is none other than Pollione, while Adalgisa is horrified to learn that Pollione is intending to abandon Norma.

ACT II: Norma wrestles with her conscience as she contemplates the murder of her children. She manages to restrain herself and decides to entrust them to Adalgisa's care. Adalgisa renounces Pollione to Norma and, swearing never to love him again, promises to persuade him to return to the mother of his children. When Norma learns of Adalgisa's failure to achieve this goal, she incites the Gauls to war against the Romans: all that is needed is a sacrifice.

Pollione is captured breaking into the virgin's temple and is sentenced to death, but he still refuses to disown Adalgisa. Norma, driven to despair, orders the funeral pyre to be lit - she will take Pollione's place as the sacrifice. Her selflessness forces Pollione to reconsider and he realizes that he does in fact love Norma after all. But it is too late: after consigning her children to her father's care, she mounts the pyre, where she is joined in death by Pollione.