Norma

Gryan and Gregory summed up well this historic performance of "Norma." Caballe is so outstanding that her rendering of the title role makes this a great addition to one's opera library.

What's been made clear--and I echo this assessment--is that the lighting on stage is remarkably dim, the wind never stops blowing, and the camera work is merely serviceable in making an archival recording.

Josephine Veasey comes off well as Adalgia and Jon Vickers is certainly heroic as Pollione. However, bel canto is not Mr. Vickers' forte, and what he lacks in timbre he makes up in stamina.

Another fine addition to the "Norma" DVD collection is the 2008 presentation by the Teatro Communale, Bologna. This has most beautiful singing, very well recorded, and exquisitely photographed and edited.

This is a treat that I did not know existed. It is a pleasure to see and to hear Jon Vickers and Monserrat Caballé at the height of their powers. The production, from the amphitheatre at Orange, in 1974 must have been one of the first ever live filmings of an opera. Sadly, the pioneering nature of the project is all too apparent: it seems to have been filmed with just a couple of cameras and lit with a 40-watt light-bulb. Members of the chorus get in the way of the principals and, quite often, the stage seems to be in almost complete darkness. Then there is the famous Orange wind to contend with: it seemed to be blowing at force 9 on the night this performance was filmed. It reminded me of the English sport of extreme ironing whose devotees like nothing better than to press their clothes halfway up a cliff. This production is a demonstration of extreme opera but, miraculously, on a few occasions everything comes together. Caballé in Act I sings defiantly into the wind as it lashes her cloak around her shoulders. Caballé, in fact, comes out best throughout. She has a dynamic range and vocal control that would be astonishing even in a recording studio never mind a Roman amphitheatre. Her fading glissando at the end of Casta Diva is probably the equal of Callas's.

In most of the performances of Norma that I have seen Pollione is played as a bit of a wimp so it was refreshing to see Jon Vicker's virile performance. Sadly the wind and the primitive recording quality mar most of his singing so we only get an impression of how the great man must really have sounded. The highlight of Norma is the close harmony duets between the two sopranos but, Joséphine Veasey as Adalgesa was unable to defy the elements in the way that Caballé could so their duets are a disappointment. All in all, a tantalising glimpse of what might have been.

I have to agree completely with Gyran from Birmingham that this is a gem of a document of two of the greatest voices of opera in the last century. Jon Vickers's manliness and dignified nobility of spirit are unsurpassed in all the roles he has committed to video and CD - his is, for me, an unlikely voice for bel canto. However he is a strong, even arrogant tragic hero with a fatal flaw. Monserrat Caballe is his match in every way. The raw edge in Vickers's voice is juxtaposed to great effect with the mellifluous bel canto yet powerful sounds of Caballe. The incidental participation of the elements - it was blowing a gale on the night of the recording - seemed to heighten the intensity of the passions expressed by the doomed pair - weather perfect to the Stone Henge type setting of the opera.

I am a big fan of opera, and I love Norma for especially its stunning music and not just Casta Diva but also the duets between Norma and Adalgisa. Of the three productions I've seen so far of this opera, this one is the best in my opinion, the other two had Sutherland and while good they weren't quite great. For me only the inconsistent lip synch lets this Norma down. The costume and set design look absolutely ravishing and the photography is skillful. The orchestra playing and conducting are equally adept. Then there are the performances. Montserrat Caballe IS Norma, she sings wonderfully and is an outstanding actress. I admire Jon Vickers, but due to his vast Wagner and Verdi repertoire I worried that his big booming voice would be too heavy for a Bel Canto like Pollione. However, I think his characterisation worked, he does sing beautifully and blends well with Caballe, and acting wise I don't think I've seen a Pollione this virile before. Josephine Veasey is an excellent Adalgisa and her duets with Caballe are lovely. Augustino Ferrin is a noble, solid Oroveso. All in all, a great Norma that works hugely due to Caballe. 9/10 Bethany Cox