Customer Reviews

Bellini: Norma

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

People who love opera know that "Norma" is a master piece of "Bel Canto", and one of the most beautiful operas ever composed. The singing is very demanding for the main roles, and it is very uncommon to find a performance in which all singers have good quality voices. If we look for "Norma" in Amazon's site, we can find about 10 DVD recorded before this one, and only two of them have been rated between 4 and 5 stars, Gruberova's and Caballe's "Normas". Although I agree with those rates, I must say that this new DVD is better than those ones in many ways:
a)the voices have been well chosen for all roles, and are well balanced among them;
b)the florid ornamentations and cadences, typical of "Bel Canto", are beautifully sung;
c)sound and image are extraordinarily good;
d)Fiorenza Cedolins's acting and pronunciation are outstanding;
e)chorus and orchestra are almost perfect.

For those whom Puccini is considered as Bel Canto as Bellini, this Norma is for you. Indeed you might quite enjoy it, and think highly of it (evident from the previous reviews). However, Only Ganassi is recognizably Bellinian. Cedolins' coloratura, contrary to what other reviews said, is smudgy at best, and her phrasing is distorted. But recording is nonetheless no worse than those by Papian or Dessi, and does not stand up to comparison with the great and respectable Normas of the past - Callas, Sutherland, Caballe, even Scotto, Gencer, Deutekom, Bumbry, Verrett and Elinor Ross.

I have been following performances of NORMA since Mme Callas' time and, make no mistake, this is a historical interpretation. Mme Cedolin, I'm sure, is the first singing actor to show just how much the energy of Medea flows through Norma. Not even Mme Callas went that far. Her acting is not only superior; it is definitive. Such meshing of body movements and music one can find only in the rare Callas footage.

I for one find her voice ideally suited to the role as she interprets it and that puts her right smack in the Callas current. We are blessed to know of it. No, it is not the most beatiful Norma I ever heard, but it is the most telling and convincing.

That said, her colleagues do not let her down, and her conductor is superb. This is a Norma to cherish.

I long ago stopped searching for the "ideal" Norma. Almost every version out there is fine, and one should really know them all.

This one is VERY special. I wish you its acquaintance.

Music is the heart of opera. But opera is not only music, it is also story, drama and a visual spectacle; and the reviews which treat this performance solely as music miss the mark. The core of the story is a perfectly plausible one, a man who grows tired of his long-time lover (and mother of his children), and who falls for a younger, more attractive woman.

Unfortunately, the singer who plays Adalgisa, the 'younger, more attractive woman', is a fat frump, utterly destroying the visual plausibility of the opera. It is a great pity, because in almost all other ways, this is an excellent production. Some reviewers find fault with Fiorenza Cedolins as Norma on the ground that her singing style does not correspond to their ideal of 'bel canto', but in my opinion this is really a matter of personal taste. She is a wonderful singer; I don't think any reviewer disagrees with that.

In a sound-only version, I would recommend this 'Norma' unreservedly. It is one of the jewels of Romantic opera, and deserves to be more widely known. But if you like to watch opera as well as listen to it, steer clear of this version.

I think people should stick with the Norma from L'Orange with Caballe if they want a DVD of Norma. Caballe was a true Norma. Cedolins tries hard, but I think she fails vocally. She looks and acts the part reasonably well, but this is not bel canto singing. The production is interesting, but the only singer that sounds like she is up to her role is Sonia Ganassi as Adalgisa.

I'd like to thank other reviewers who encouraged me to purchase this. I've been waiting many years for this video. I have others, notably by Sutherland and Caballe who sing the role beautifully but are lacking something either in technical, visual and sound quality, or who don't excite me much in appearance or acting. I was wary of purchasing this as I've never heard of Fiorenza Cedolins. I was also wary of another minimalist production. But overall, I have to say this is the most satisfying, overall, of any of the video Norma's I've seen. Cedolins is beautiful to look at, she has a true trill and glissando, and more importantly a delicacy of interpretation that is uniquely her own, not an attempt to mimic Callas or anyone else. Plus, the sound of this production, not just the voices but the orchestra as well, is absolutely stunning! I thoroughly enjoyed watching and listening to this.

The reviews written below by those who purchased it, were most helpful. None of the sigers are familiar on this DVD, and since this is one of my favorite operas, I wanted a DVD. I have the Sutherland, Caballe, Pavarotti cd, which can never be equalled, but I only saw the actual production once. Thanks for the comments, it helped me to decide to buy it. Super is the word. Very enjoyable to watch and hear, eventhough there is no notable scenery. I would recommend it for purchase, eventhough the OPERA TODAY review is not outstanding.

I now have both the Caballe / Orange recording as well as this one and I really like both the interpretations. Today's opera performances are more demanding of the artists as to acting ability, as well as voice a trend I thoroughly endorse and this recording has both. The only unfortunate part is that Pollione does not look as though two 'enemy' women would fall for him. In this way John Vickers, in the Orange opera, seemed a more heroic and attractive looking character, even if Pollione's morals are not too high. Bellini, seems to me to have been changing the Bel Canto style, as there are usually far fewer 'trills' and fancy bits than say Rossini, so I feel that this performance is quite true to his writing. Anyway, it is a disc I will enjoy many times.

I enjoyed this Norma. Since I learned Norma by listening to the Maria Callas versions, I was prepared to not like it, but went by the critics recommendations and bought it and I am not sorry. There are more famous people who have done it, but I rejected them out of hand because I didn't think they were visually in the part (Montserrat Caballe, Joan Sutherland) or just not up to it vocally. I thought both the female voices were excellent and Norma was really good, both as an expressive actress and as a singer. I think the Pollione was very inadequate, and why both of these females should be so wowed by him is beyond me. So definitely worth a look.

This is not a "Bel Canto" performance of the signiture role of that art form. What Ms. Cedolins does is make an exciting dramatic rendition of the somewhat stodgy dramaturgy of the story line. Her last act performance could be an encore for Cherubini's Medea. Such dramatic intensity! Yes her vocal production gets fuzzy as other reviewers have noted. But Callas could wabble all over the place. Ms. Cedolins gives us a valid dramatic performance of a Verdian Lady Macbeth sort. Her last act was a little too dramatic perhaps but I'm English and she's definately Italian. I also agree Ganassi was vocally the best of the cast and a true bel canto. Frankly, I cannot see what the girls saw in La Scola's Pollione.
I commend the production for authenticity in making the mistletoe look like it should and growing from an oak branch (it is a parasite of oaks). Also done correctly was the Irminsul constructed as a tree trunk with a marking. This is more Druidian than I've ever seen on stage. The god's spirit(Odin, Woton or many other names) is within or on it. Nice to see someone has done their homework.