Norma discography

This is a list of recordings of Norma, a two-act opera by Vincenzo Bellini with an Italian-language libretto by Felice Romani. It was first performed on 26 December 1831, at La Scala in Milan.

Year Cast:
(Norma,
Pollione,
Adalgisa,
Oroveso) 		Conductor,
Opera House and Orchestra
(Recording/production details) 		Label
1937 Gina Cigna,
Giovanni Martinelli,
Bruna Castagna,
Ezio Pinza		 Ettore Panizza,
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
(Live broadcast, 20 February 1937, Metropolitan Opera House)		 CD: Metropolitan Opera[1]
1937 Gina Cigna,
Giovanni Breviario,
Ebe Stignani,
Tancredi Pasero		 Vittorio Gui,
Orchestra and Chorus of the EIAR Torino		 CD: Premiere Opera
Cat: CDNO 322-2
1944 Zinka Milanov,
Frederick Jagel,
Jennie Tourel,
Norman Cordon		 Cesare Sodero,
Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra
(Live broadcast, Metropolitan Opera House, 30 December 1944)[2]		 CD: Myto
Cat: 2 MCD 954.137
1952 Maria Callas,
Mirto Picchi,
Ebe Stignani,
Giacomo Vaghi,
Clotilde: Joan Sutherland		 Vittorio Gui,
Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra
(Recorded live, 8 November 1952)[3]		 CD: EMI Classics
Cat: 562 668-2
1954 Maria Callas,
Mario Filippeschi,
Ebe Stignani
Nicola Rossi-Lemeni		 Tullio Serafin,
Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala,
(Studio recording, 23 April – 3 May 1954)[4]		 LP: Columbia
Cat: 33CX 1179-81
CD: EMI Classics
Cat: 586 8342
1955 Maria Callas,
Mario del Monaco,
Ebe Stignani,
Giuseppe Modesti		 Tullio Serafin,
Orchestra and Chorus of the RAI Rome
(Concert performance, Rome RAI, 29 June 1955)[5]		 CD: Myto
Cat: 00140
1955 Maria Callas,
Mario del Monaco,
Giulietta Simionato,
Nicola Zaccaria		 Antonino Votto,
Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala
(Recorded live, 7 December 1955)[6]		 CD: Myto
Cat: MCD 00153
1960 Maria Callas,
Franco Corelli,
Christa Ludwig,
Nicola Zaccaria		 Tullio Serafin,
Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala
(Studio recording, 5–12 September 1960)[7]		 CD: EMI Classics
Cat: CMS 5 66428-2
1964 Joan Sutherland,
John Alexander,
Marilyn Horne,
Richard Cross		 Richard Bonynge,
London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus,
(Studio recording)		 CD: Decca
Cat: 475 7902;
000717202 (USA)
1964 Leyla Gencer,
Bruno Prevedi,
Adriana Lazzarini,
William Wildermann		 Bruno Bartoletti,
Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Colón		 CD: live-rare-opera
Cat: Not given
1967 Elena Souliotis,
Mario del Monaco,
Fiorenza Cossotto,
Carlo Cava		 Silvio Varviso,
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia		 CD: London
Cat: POCL 3824-5
1972 Montserrat Caballé,
Plácido Domingo,
Fiorenza Cossotto,
Ruggero Raimondi		 Carlo Felice Cillario,
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus		 LP: RCA Red Seal
Cat: LSC-6202
CD: RCA Red Seal
Cat: 88875073482
1973 Montserrat Caballé,
Carlo Cossutta,
Fiorenza Cossotto,
Giorgio Tozzi		 Carlo Felice Cillario,
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
(Recorded live, 17 February 1973)		 Streaming audio:
Met Opera on Demand[8]
1973 Beverly Sills,
Enrico Di Giuseppe,
Shirley Verrett,
Paul Plishka		 James Levine,
New Philharmonia Orchestra, John Alldis Choir		 LP: ABC
Cat: ATS-20017
CD: DGG
Cat: 477 8186
1974 Montserrat Caballé,
Jon Vickers,
Josephine Veasey
Agostino Ferrin		 Giuseppe Patanè,
Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Regio di Torino,
(Recorded live, 27 July, Théâtre antique d'Orange, Orange Festival) 		CD: Opera d'Oro
Cat: OPD 1140;
DVD: VAI[9]
Cat: 4229
1979 Renata Scotto,
Giuseppe Giacomini,
Tatiana Troyanos,
Paul Plishka		 James Levine,
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus		 CD: Sony
Cat: 88697446182
1981 Joan Sutherland,
Francisco Ortiz,
Tatiana Troyanos,
Justino Diaz		 Richard Bonynge,
Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and Chorus		 DVD: VAI
Cat: DVDVAI 4202
1984 Joan Sutherland,
Luciano Pavarotti,
Montserrat Caballé,
Samuel Ramey		 Richard Bonynge,
Orchestra and Chorus of the Welsh National Opera		 CD: London
Cat: POCL 2891-3
1986 Maria Bieșu,
Gegam Grigoryan,
Ludmila Nam
Georgi Seleznev		 Mark Ermler,
Orchestra and Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre		 CD: Melodiya
Cat: MCD 160
1999 Jane Eaglen,
Vincenzo La Scola,
Eva Mei,
Dmitri Kavrakos		 Riccardo Muti,
Orchestra and chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino		 CD: EMI
Cat: B008L41Z0Q
2001 June Anderson,
Shin Young Hoon,
Daniela Barcellona,
Ildar Abdrazakov		 Fabio Biondi,
Europa Galante, Verdi Festival Chorus
(Recorded live, March 2001, Teatro Regio, Parma) 		DVD: TDK
Cat: DV ONOR
2005 Dimitra Theodossiou,
Carlo Ventre,
Nidia Palacios,
Riccardo Zanellato		 Giuliano Carella,
Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Massimo Bellini (Catania)
(Recorded live, June) 		DVD: Dynamic
Cat: 33493[10]
2007 Dimitra Theodossiou,
Carlo Ventre,
Daniela Barcellona,
Simon Orfila		 Paolo Arrivabeni,
Fondazione Orchestra Regionale delle Marche,
Coro Lirico Marchigiano "Vincenzo Bellini"
(Recorded live, August 2007, Sferisterio Opera Festival, Macerata) 		DVD: Dynamic[11]
Cat: 33561
2013 Cecilia Bartoli,
John Osborn,
Sumi Jo
Michele Pertusi		 Giovanni Antonini,
Orchestra La Scintilla, Zurich
(playing on period instruments)		 CD: Decca
Cat: 0289 478 3517 2[12]
2015 Sondra Radvanovsky,
Gregory Kunde,
Ekaterina Gubanova,
Raymond Aceto 		Renato Palumbo,
Gran Teatre del Liceu orchestra and chorus
(Kevin Newbury, stage director; recorded live, February 2015) 		Blu-ray/DVD:
C major[13]
Cat:737208
2016 Sonya Yoncheva,
Joseph Calleja,
Sonia Ganassi,
Brindley Sherratt 		Antonio Pappano,
The Royal Opera orchestra and chorus
(Àlex Ollé, stage director; recorded live, 26 September 2016) 		HD video:
Royal Opera Stream[14]
Blu-ray/DVD: Opus Arte[15]
Cat:OA1247D
2017 Sondra Radvanovsky,
Joseph Calleja,
Joyce DiDonato,
Matthew Rose 		Carlo Rizzi,
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
(David McVicar, production; recorded live, 7 October 2017)		 HD video:
Met Opera on Demand[16]
Blu-ray/DVD: Erato[17]
2018 Mariella Devia,
Stefan Pop,
Annalisa Stroppa,
Riccardo Fassi 		Andrea Battistoni,
Teatro Carlo Felice orchestra and chorus
(Teatrialchemici, Luigi di Gangi and Ugo Giacomazzi, stage direction) 		DVD: Bongiovanni
Cat: AB 20041

Note: "Cat:" is short for catalogue number by the label company.

References

  1. ^ Norma, Met Opera broadcast of 20 February 1937: OCLC 57372177; Met Opera Database, CID:120790; mentioned as "the legendary 1937 MET broadcast" by Joseph Newsome in "Cecilia Bartoli as Norma", Opera Today, 30 May 2013.
  2. ^ Norma, Metropolitan Opera House, 30 December 1944, Met Opera Database.
  3. ^ Ardoin 1977, pp. 56–58: "Callas was in top vocal form, apart from the opening scene [with the aria 'Casta Diva']".
  4. ^ Ardoin 1977, pp. 78–79: Callas sings Norma as "more the warrior than the woman".
  5. ^ Ardoin 1977, p. 99: "closer to the London performance of 1952, and in several instances betters it. Norma the warrior is less dominant." Some stridency in top notes until the third [sic] act.
  6. ^ Ardoin 1977, p. 106: Callas "in stupendous voice".
  7. ^ Norma, Teatro alla Scala studio recording, 5–12 September 1960: CD (OCLC 456198404, 1374303459); Ardoin 1977, pp. 157–158: "This Norma is more giving [than in the 1954 EMI recording], more many-sided, more complex, and drawn in finer lines. 'Casta Diva', for example, is quieter, more mesmerizing (with with phrase endings exquisitely tapered into silence)".
  8. ^ Norma Met Opera, 17 February 1973, Met Opera on Demand; CID: 232540, Met Opera Database. Also available for streaming via Apple Music and for download in the iTunes Store.
  9. ^ OCLC 612621943.
  10. ^ John Steane, "Not ringing my bel canto", Gramophone (October 2006), p. 111. See also OCLC 893638727.
  11. ^ OCLC 251853765.
  12. ^ Joseph Newsome, "Cecilia Bartoli as Norma", in Opera Today, 30 May 2013.
  13. ^ Norma, Liceu, 2015: Blu-ray (ASIN B01IQEGCGW); DVD (OCLC 962186602).
  14. ^ Norma (2016)", Royal Ballet & Opera Stream. Also available via medici.tv.
  15. ^ Norma, Royal Opera, 2016: Blu-ray (OCLC 1038020977); DVD (OCLC 1011631803).
  16. ^ Norma, Met Opera, 7 October 2017, Met Opera on Demand; CID: 356753, Met Opera Database.
  17. ^ Norma, Met Opera, 2017: Blu-ray (OCLC 1082339499); DVD (OCLC 1082868346).
Sources