Vincenzo BELLINI (1801-1835)
Norma - Tragica lirica in due atti (1831) [148:29]
Norma – Joan Sutherland (soprano)
Adalgisa – Montserrat Caballé (soprano)
Pollione – Luciano Pavarotti (tenor)
Oroveso – Samuel Ramey (bass)
Clotilde – Diane Montague (soprano)
Flavio – Kim Begley (tenor)
Chorus of the Welsh National Opera
Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera/Richard Bonynge
rec. Walthamstow Assembly Hall, London, United Kingdom, December 1984
DECCA 414 476-2 [3 CDs: 41:29 + 42:59 + 64:01]
This is a starry recording of Bellini's masterpiece. I don't believe such
a strong cast had been assembled on record since Montserrat Caballé's recording
with EMI (there the cast included Placido Domingo and Fiorenza Cossotto) some
twelve years earlier. Before that there was the remarkable recording by the
greatest Norma of the previous generation - Maria Callas with a young Christa
Ludwig, Franco Corelli in his element and the wonderful Tullio Serafin conducting.
In the interim there were two Normas who were in different ways rather disappointing:
Beverly Sills was in wobbly voice alongside an excellent Shirley Verrett (DG).
Renata Scotto’s high notes were harsh and the conducting of James Levine was
heavy-handed. Giuseppe Giacomini was in fine, ringing voice but not very interesting
(Sony). All in all there was plenty of room for another recording of this
excellent opera.
The opera concerns Norma, a druidess, and her secret relationship with a Roman
general, Pollione. In the course of the opera Norma has to come to terms with
Pollione being unfaithful with the younger druidess Adalgisa and must try
to decide the right course of action.
Joan Sutherland had waited twenty years to re-record the demanding title role
and had recently performed the part to much acclaim at Covent Garden. Her
entry 'Sedizoci voce!' sounds more effortful than her earlier work (also Decca)
and the wobble in her middle voice is rather pronounced. For all that, Sutherland's
'Casta Diva' is a very fine piece of singing and especially when played at
quite high levels one can begin to imagine the impact that such singing must
have had in the opera house.
More animated parts such as 'Fine al rito' showcase the flexibility of the
voice and the years do tend to fall away - one of Joan Sutherland's finest
late recordings of Verdi's 'Ernani' show that in many ways her voice never
lost the startling flexibility of her youth though the astonishing power of
her high notes did succumb. It is not fair simply to argue that Sutherland
was 'too old' here as there were other triumphs to come in the studio such
as her performance in Handel's Athalia and her late (1987) recording
in Ernani in which she sounds fresher and brighter than here. Strange.
The Pollione of Luciano Pavarotti is a significant asset. If somewhat beyond
his absolute prime - I'm thinking of the seven or eight years from his huge
success in La Fille du Régiment at the Met in 1972 - Pavarotti nevertheless
turns in a very effective performance in a role he did not sing in the opera
house. 'Me protegge, me diffende' showcases an easy style and flexibility
with a far less baritonal voice than some his contemporaries such as Placido
Domingo (EMI) or Giuseppe Giacomini. There is a great deal of excitement in
his duets with Caballé (Adalgisa). His diction is exceptionally clear and
the effect is exciting and far 'tidier' than the performance of Franco Corelli
who had by nature greater reserves of power. Pavarotti’s is a more beautiful
voice however and he is an intelligent partner in the duets.
Montserrat Caballé gives a fine performance of Adalgisa with her youthful
voice making dramatic sense alongside Sutherland’s warmer sound. The effect
is especially enjoyable in the duets where the voices blend admirably - albeit
in a very different way from Horne and Sutherland twenty years earlier where
the very different voices gelled exceptionally well. It is notable that Caballé
and Pavarotti sound so much more at ease here than in their contemporary recording
of Andrea Chénier.
Richard Bonynge conducts with a good deal of brio and drive. He gets excellent
results from the chorus.
In conclusion, this recording is admirable in many regards, especially if
one ignores thoughts of 'what if?'. The partnership of Pavarotti and Caballé
is exceptionally strong. Still the finest DDD recording all considered. If
you are after one studio recording of Norma I would choose from Callas/1960
(EMI), Caballé (as Norma, 1973, EMI) or this set. This should definitely be
a candidate for a mid-price release given that Pavarotti’s ‘Mefistofeles’
and the Sutherland/Pavarotti Ernani are already available on the mid-price
‘Classic Opera’ series. There are some savings to be had with MP3 downloads
of this recording available online for around one third of the price of the
full-priced CD box-set. It is certainly worth shopping around.
David Bennett
Admirable in many regards.