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L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
• Considering her actions, how do you feel about Norma herself by the end of
the opera? Do you sympathize with her tragic plight or do you disagree with the
choices she makes?
• How would you describe the relationship between Norma and Pollione during
the course of the opera? What other couples does their relationship remind you
of from opera, literature, and history?
• How does the opera express – musically and dramatically – the conflicting loyalties
its principal characters feel – to their cultures, to their families, to their friends and
lovers? Does the opera make the argument that one loyalty is more important than
the others?
• Norma is considered one of the most challenging soprano roles in all of opera.
What are some of the musical and emotional demands this role makes
on a singing actress?
• Perhaps the most famous of all Bellini arias, Norma’s “Casta diva” is often cited
as a perfect example of bel canto – Italian for “beautiful singing” – a 19th-century
term for a style of opera characterized by long, melodious vocal lines designed to
showcase the beauty of the voice. How would you describe the music of
Norma
?
How is Bellini’s music similar to or different from that of other operas you might
have seen?
Norma:
After the Curtain Falls
To continue enjoying
Norma
, Lyric dramaturg Roger Pines suggests the following performances:
• DVD – Radvanovsky, Gubanova, Kunde, Aceto; Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre
del Liceu (Barcelona), cond. Palumbo (C Major Entertainment)
• CD – Sutherland, Horne, Alexander, Cross; London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus,
cond. Bonynge (Decca)
• CD – Callas, Ludwig, Corelli, Zaccaria; La Scala Orchestra and Chorus, cond. Serafin (EMI)
• CD – Callas, Simionato, Del Monaco, Zaccaria; La Scala Orchestra and Chorus, cond. Votto (Myto)
• CD – Caballé, Cossotto, Domingo, Raimondi; London Philharmonic Orchestra,
Ambrosian Opera Chorus, cond. Cillario (RCA)
When the performance is over, try discussing it with your companions and any other
opera lovers you know! You can continue your pleasure in
Norma
for hours – even days –
by exchanging ideas about it. Here are some topics we can suggest:
January 28 - February 24, 2017
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One of the 20th century’s eminent Normas was
Rosa Raisa, the magnificent Polish-born dramatic
soprano whose love affair with Chicago audiences
endured for more than two decades, beginning
with her American debut as Aida in 1913.
HERMAN MISHKIN / METROPOLITAN OPERA ARCHIVES