Met Opera: Norma

Yesterday evening, the Met put on its 150th performance of Norma, Vincenzo Bellini's masterpiece of bel canto opera.  According to the program, it first entered the Met's repertory in 1890 when it was sung by "Wagner specialist" Lilli Lehmann.  This was during the six-season period when the Met enforced an all German language repertory under Leopold Damrosch and later Edmund Stanton.  Accordingly, at its premiere Norma was actually sung  in German!  Then it was left unperformed from 1892 to 1927 when it was reintroduced by Tullio Serafin who also conducted the famous Maria Callas studio recording in 1954.  Ms. Callas herself sang the role at the Met five times in 1956.  Other famous sopranos to have taken on the part at the Met include Joan Sutherland, Montserrat Caballé and Renata Scotto.

The list of singers who have undertaken the role is significant because the greatest problem with any staging of the work is the scarcity of vocal artists who are able to do justice to the title character.  Bellini originally wrote the part for Giuditta Pasta, generally considered one of the greatest singers of the nineteenth century.  According to an article in the program written by Philip Gossett:

"She [Pasta] was one of the few artists who successfully made the transition from the highly florid but more classical style of Rossini to the declamatory and passionate singing demanded by his successors in the 1830s.  Whatever these composers might ask of her, she could do it, and Bellini tailored to her multiple skills the role of the druid priestess..."

It was then something of a triumph that Sondra Radvanovsky, known primarily for her Verdi interpretations, should have given such a stunning performance as Norma.  From the great aria Casta diva on, she was in full command of the role and drew continuous applause from the audience.  In her performance, she was well assisted by other members of the cast - Kate Aldrich as Adalgisa, Alexsandrs Antonenko as Pollione and James Morris as Oroveso.  The conducting by Riccardo Frizza was commendable and the production by John Copley was dignified and unobtrusive.  All in all, this was an evening well spent.