Met Opera Radio Review: Norma
Sonya Yoncheva in Norma (Marty Sohl/Met Opera)
Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma is living up to the name of bel canto, beautiful singing.
This production opened the 2017-18 season and is now being revived for the first time, with a formidable cast. I had somehow never listened to most of Norma before (*readers scream*), and I’m disgusted for not having done so earlier and joyful to have found it. I was expecting excellence, but the beauty of it all was still startling. Let’s get down to details.
The music captured my attention from the overture’s first thunder-like outburst. Under the baton of the excellent Maurizio Benini, the orchestra did full justice to Bellini’s stunning score, seamlessly switching between rapid urgency and longing, lyrical lines.
Just a few minutes in, I began playing Spot the Melody. Bellini didn’t directly recycle his music like Rossini (they were great friends!), but there are still echoes of his other operas and even some of Donizetti’s too. For example, the first chorus of the Druids immediately reminded me of “D’immenso giubilo” from Donizetti’s gorgeous, gruesome Lucia di Lammermoor. (However, Lucia was written after Norma, so maybe Donizetti was the borrower!)
Sonya Yoncheva in Norma (Marty Sohl/Met Opera)
Sonya Yoncheva sang the title role of Norma, the Druid high priestess in Roman Gaul caught in a love triangle. She sang magnificently. By turns gentle, passionate, ferocious, and devout, she stood in firm command of the stage and steadily got better and better as the opera progressed.
“Casta diva” is one of the toughest arias in all opera, coming a short few minutes into her entrance and requiring polished legato and precise breath control. In Sonya’s hands, it was a true prayer, soulful and quietly fervent. The tempo was slow, but it was all the more beguiling.
Though the fast cabaletta, “Ah, bello, a me ritorna,” involves considerably more acrobatics and fireworks, it also felt like a prayer of sorts. The acrobatics turned out to be a bit too complex for smoothness, but by the second half of Act 1, her high notes were considerably more secure, and the rest of the opera was thrilling, particularly whenever she lashed out at her faithless lover, the Roman proconsul Pollione.
It’s unusual for a Verdian mezzo to foray into bel canto, so Ekaterina Gubanova’s voice is darker than the typical Adalgisa (Norma’s accidental rival for Pollione’s love), but it made her performance more unique. Sincere and appealing, tender yet forceful, she balanced out the evening of contrasts.
Gubanova also proved herself to be a skilled partner to her co-stars. Her early scene with Pollione was a highlight of the evening, as she maintained the tension and displayed some impressive top notes. Her extended duet “Mira, o Norma… Sì, fino all’ora estreme” with Sonya was lovely, with their very different voices softly complementing, if not melding with, each other.
Michael Spyres and Ekaterina Gubanova in Norma (Marty Sohl/Met Opera)
Michael Spyres made his mark as the inconstant Pollione early on. Although he’s generally categorized as a tenor, he has instead called himself a baritenor. No boxes for this one! He has a heroic sound but doesn’t force it, though his highest notes can sometimes sound strained. However, given his unusual voice, it wasn’t a big surprise, and he sounded strong and striking in his role. Judging from photos, Spyres does rather resemble one’s mental image of a Roman general, and I could at least imagine why both Norma and Adalgisa fell for Pollione.
As Oroveso, leader of the Druids and Norma’s father, Christian Van Horn was his usual solid, sonorous self, and Brittany Olivia Logan made a promising stage debut as Clotilde (she debuted offstage in Aida earlier this season). The chorus was in fine form, which was all the more impressive given that the production involves them unleashing warlike screams (or were those the actors?). Speaking of the production, it’s a traditional David McVicar staging, meaning that it doesn’t distract from the singers, remains largely faithful to the original setting, and is aesthetically pleasing.
Sadly, there’s no bel canto next season and it’s not being shown in cinemas, so catch Norma while you still can. It closes on March 25th, with the same splendid cast. It’s a Do. Not. Miss, and I certainly won’t if I can help it.
Update: I couldn’t help it.
