Customer Reviews

Bellini - Norma / Maria Callas

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Although Maria Callas has made two fine studio recordings of NORMA for EMI, this live recording of a performance at La Scala in 1955 provides a much more thrilling experience for the listener despite its obvious sonic limitations.

Norma was one of Callas's greatest roles but the extra dose of adrenalin in this live performance may have made it probably the most intense of her Normas that have been captured on records. Compared with the two studio versions, Callas's interpretation of the part is more refined and feminine than in the earlier mono set, and she is in better vocal shape than in the stereo version. As always, she lavishes great attention on the text and is able to illuminate every phrase (including those in the recitatives) with meaning. She shapes Bellini's long phrases stylishly and elegantly and enhances their expressivity through the employment of a wide palette of tone colours and a broad dynamic range. Her control of rhythm, especially in florid passages, and her ability to integrate each phrase into an organic whole, are also evidence of her marvellous musicianship. On a pure vocal level, once her voice has warmed up during her first scene, she sounds totally comfortable in this most demanding role and her masterful handling of the roulades and those athletic sprints to the High Cs in "Ah, non tremare" are simply stunning. She is also able to heighten the dramatic impact by capping the trio with a stupendous High D, which she didn't attempt for her studio recordings.

The cast in this performance is also better than those assembled by EMI. Mario del Monaco, while not being a very subtle singer, makes a heroic Pollione. His clarion voice and confident singing renders him a good dramatic partner for Callas in their duets and ensembles. At the very least, we do have here a Pollione which sounds dignified and impressively authoritative, which cannot be said of many other interpreters of this role. Guiletta Simionato, in excellent voice, is in every aspect a wonderful Adalgisa. Not only is she vocally very secure (and capable of letting out a securely placed High C) and is able to provide a good match for Callas in their two extended duets, she also sings with considerable feeling and tonal warmth. There's also strong casting for the smaller roles and the La Scala chorus is quite good.

In the pit, Antonio Votto and the La Scala orchestra not only provide excellent support to the singers, their playing is also committed and passionate which, for example, contributes much to the white-heat intensity in the trio which ends the first act. In the more meditative passages, the playing is often elastic and beautifully moulded and thereby giving ample scope for the singers to make the most out of their vocal lines.

This is a grand and dramatic performance of Bellini's masterpiece and I would urge everyone to give it a try as the sonic limitations should not be too great an impediment for one to experience, on record at least, what was evidently a great night at La Scala.

There are other Callas and Del Monaco Normas. There are other Callas Normas also featuring Simionato. There are other Callas Normas with Antonio Votto conducting. There are other recordings of Callas performing Norma, live! There are other recordings of Callas performing Norma at La Scala in Milan. Adding to the confusion, there are also other Callas Normas recorded in 1955! Rest assured this is THE Callas performance; and it is the only one with all of those attributes!

Yet, there is a flaw in this GALA CD. GALA engineers saw fit to splice snippets from other Callas performances wherever tiny bits of static made them uncomfortable. Unfortunately, one such moment was when Callas sang, "Dormono entrambi", quietly over her sleeping children.

Okey, some folks may prefer GALA's substitution of another Callas rendition in better sound, but others will surely regret losing what may be Callas's most poignant singing that evening.

Since this special performance is availabile on at least three additional labels, it's worth the trouble to check which label you are buying. Avoid this GALA edition, and buy one of the three other labels that have released this recording if you want to hear one of Maria Callas' most memorable performance unedited.

When I played this recording to a good friend she ask me "Did you record this yourself? That's how bad the record quality is. BUT. It was my first recording of NORMA I heard. I was in love immediatly. Mono ? Who cares if the stuff is good . Audiance noise ? That makes it soo authentic. One wishes to be part of that night. No, no it is far the best recording I have heard Bellinis Norma sungen. (I bought quiet more afterwards) It is a magic match of Conductor and Orchestra, the speed, the counter voices and the feeling you get when the audiance gets mad with a reason! I always regret that I never can be part of that performance. What a picture : A night in Milano in July 1955 , a traditional old fashioned opera building and eveyone around you suffers and weeps with her. What sound recording quality in the world can produce this picture ? There is more to it to make good recording. One has to consider the time and circumstances . Here we are talking 1955 ! This is a authentic copy of one night in Italy ! In "Mira, o Norma" it all comes to a point where one shakes and knows this is a different world one could see just for a glimpse. It really makes you "see" Maria Callas and Guiletta Simionato smiling when they set up to the next step of the duett. There are a bunch of very soulful recordings in my collection which are lacking the sound of stero and the like. But isn't the people you want to hear ? Not the studio where they recorded in. But to come to an end : This is the best recording of all times of Norma. It is outstanding and everyone who seriosly considers himself a friend of Opera has to have it . It is a must , it is a classic, a standard which is still in need of its successor.

Hartmut, San Francisco

I first heard this performance on LP many years ago. I was familiar with the Callas Norma from her EMI and some "private" recordings, but this performance knocked me out! It is the perfect combination of Callas the vocalist and the total performer. She starts building the character from her first utterance. Also, her runs are accurately sung, and her upper register is in great shape for this time period of her career. High points: the trio finale with Simionato and Del Monaco: all three are caught up in the music drama of this crucial scene; the duets with Simionato (who despite her aspirated runs is still an exciting performer in this role); and especially the finale, always a Callas high point. As a previous reviewer here has pointed out, Dormano entrambi is spliced with other performances in this recording, so something is lost. The sound is much better than some of the reviews would lead you to believe: but it is a radio broadcast from the fifties, so not digital sound of 2000. But...it is like watching a movie from the thirties or a silent movie: part of the total impact. So purchasers should be aware that this is an important historical document, and the sound is indicative of its time and the broadcast method. So if sound and technical perfection are important to you, look elsewhere. If you want a vital searing music drama, try this.

let us be grateful that the performance was recorded in thefirst place! geez! this is perhaps the most amazing norma everrecorded....and i do love the applause! especially when callas rises to "son io" in the last act and the audience goes mad....this is history we are listening to....not a corporate manufactured set. it should be treasured.....also...the sound is pretty acceptable...as a collector, i am forced to put up with probably some of the worst sound quality (the callas nabucco from melodram is the prime example....darn, its like there is a wall between the singer and the listener)....but let us at least be grateful that we can actually get our hands on these live performances. also...they are so cheap!

The live sound of this set is quite acceptable for 1950s live recording standards. The voices are caught well and I have no complaints. Perhaps those who wrote negative reviews on the sound are after hi-fi digital sound rather than historical performance values. Whatever live sound glitches this set may have is offset by the bargain price. This set probably represents Callas is her most famous role and if i may add, her best performance...ever! I own several of her Normas and this one by far is the best. Her performance is pure magic! Spine tingling anf full of electricity! At 2 discs instead of 3, and at bargain price this one is no doubt a must own set.

Bellini's masterpiece is the opera with which Maria Callas has been mostly associated. Norma is regarded as a difficult opera since the soprano must be able to sing exquisitely both coloratura parts as well as long legato phrases. Norma is a bel canto (=beautiful singing) opera and Maria Callas did not actually possess the beautiful voice nor the legato ability so necessary in Norma. She showed, however, a very good understanding of the role and also was able to reach those high notes very easily with her wonderful coloratura soprano. These two characteristics made her a very beloved and the most famous Norma. Legendary Normas were Pasta, Grizi and Ponsele, all before Maria Callas. I've always admired and considered among the best Normas Montserrat Caballe (1973 RCA Victor opera series) whose bel canto ability and performance in Norma is a marvel!

On this cd we hear Callas' Norma at her finest. It's a live performace, thus the sound quality particularly low for today but sufficient for a 50s recording. The supportive cast is good with G.Carturan being a credible Adalgisa. Last but not least, A.Votto's powerful conducting completes this famous Norma. Concluding, any recording of Maria Callas as Norma is considered by many opera fans a must and this one is a very good choice!

Being the creature of the theater that she was, it is not surprising that Maria Callas' best recordings of her most admired roles are those of live performances ("pirates"), rather than studio recordings. She made two studio recordings of Bellini's Norma, in 1954, and in stereo in 1960, but both are surpassed by this December 1955 performance at La Scala, which catches her still in exemplary voice and with a stellar supporting cast. Although Callas is fully able to encompass Norma the fiery Druid warrior, there is also a tenderness in the more intimate scenes with Adalgisa and her children that is more apparent than in her 1954 studio recording. On the other hand, her top voice is much more secure here than in her stereo recording of 1960--her high Cs are solid, not ugly or strident, and she includes a blazing top D to cap the final trio of the first Act (omitted in 1960) with Simionato and del Monaco, both of whom match her in vocal and dramatic commitment. To relive such an evening as this one is quite willing to overlook standard cuts, the somewhat humdrum conducting and less than state-of-the-art sound.

Sound, however, is the cause of one warning about this Gala pressing--there are patches spliced in from other Callas performances, probably to avoid static on the original broadcast tape, including part of the touching scene with her children that opens the second Act. This does not seriously affect the overall impression beyond some slight variations in pitch and acoustic. Still, for a complete recording of this legendary performance one needs to go to other labels such as HRE or Legato Classics.

I am not an expert on Opera but I do have a lot of recordings and three live Normas with Sutherland, Callas, and Deutekom. I think all of the performances are brilliant but with only acceptable sound. It seems the older I am getting I enjoy more the live performances than the studio recordings because there is a sense that the singers are really letting their voices and emotions rip.

I just got the Deutekom (San Francisco, 1975) version and I think that she bears comparison with Callas and Sutherland. She has a huge voice, creamy high notes, a solid chest voice, and overall she comes across like a sprinto wagnarian. The sound of her voice reminds me of Nilsson. She does an interesting thing in her interpretation; she withholds her highest notes until the second half of the opera, where they really hit the points. Troyanos is Adalgisa, I did not know her voice was so big, agile, expressive, and beautiful! I was really surprised. The Pollione of Merolla is good; he did not have or attempt some of the high notes. I enjoyed the conducting of Cillario--nothing pretensions, he moved the music along with good pacing and I believe a good sense of the structure of the whole.

Sutherland is of course a wonder. She milks Casta Diva for all its worth and she has something virtuosic to hear in almost every phrase. What will be to individual tastes are the choices that Bonynge makes in cadenzas and ornamentation. Like at the end of the trio, "Oh di qual sei tu vittima", Sutherland climes up to and sustains a high note (a magnificent one at that), then Tourangeau and Alexander closed-out on a lower note, which seems something of intellectual novelty conceptually in comparison to other versions. Tourangeau sounds like a sprinto, it's not a huge voice but it's expressive and warm. The duets with Sutherland are excellent. Alexander as Pollione has a good sound and high notes though he sounds taxed by the role.

What is exciting to hear in the above-mentioned versions is hearing Norma sung by big beautiful voices. Unfortunately Callas' voice is not beautiful. But she takes to Norma with a certainty that is very compelling. She expresses a range of pathos and emotion, caps it all with solid high notes, either with quite intensity or with shattering impact, and has the most animalistic chest notes in the recorded era. The rest of this cast really is amazing. Simionato nails the role of Adalgisa; her sound is big, expressive, and rich. And her phrasing sounds perfect. She and Callas sing the duets with a closeness that is incredible. Del Monaco as Pollione is authoritative, slightly dense, and very believable as the Roman proconsul. Votto's conducting is supportive, gripping, has momentum, and sounds very natural.

You really can't go wrong with any of these versions taking in that the sound is not great.

It is interesting to note that these three live performances are under the same Gala label.

This is a wonderful, exciting performance. I love listening to Callas and Simionato; their voices blend together so beautifully. It was so exciting to listen to this recording; I actually felt like I was in the opera house, watching the performance. I noticed a lot of people complained about the noise on this recording. I didn't think it was so bad. It's certainly no worse than I expected, considering that this was recorded live. I do have one problem, though: the first 15 minutes of this performance were not recorded; on the CD, they substituted 15 minutes from another performance. But there is nothing about this on the CD box or in the booklet. In fact, I didn't know anything about this when I bought the recording, but a Callas expert told me about it later on. I think there should be something about the substitution. But at least it doesn't affect Callas' music, since she doesn't make her entrance until more than 15 minutes into the opera.