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Cecilia Bartoli Vincenzo Bellini : Norma

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Vincenzo Bellini : Norma

Cecilia Bartoli

Classical - Released January 1, 2013 | Decca Music Group Ltd.

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Choc de Classica - Choc Classica de l'année

Performed on early 19th century instruments and presented with brisk tempos, bright tone colors, and a lean ensemble sound, this 2013 Decca recording of Vincenzo Bellini's tragic opera Norma strives to re-create the authentic vocal style and instrumental sonorities that would have been heard at its premiere. This reading is based on a critical study of the manuscript and other sources by Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi. To the extent that Cecilia Bartoli is able to re-create the historical role of Norma and remove the modern associations that came with time (especially from the 20th century performances by Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, and Montserrat Caballé), she impresses with a lighter voiced and agile heroine who is wholly believable in this highly florid bel canto role. Bartoli is joined by Sumi Jo as Adalgisa, John Osborn as Pollione, and Michele Pertusi as Oroveso, and this cast was chosen to match their vocal qualities and to create expressive balance. The Orchestra La Scintilla is conducted by Giovanni Antonini, who communicates a lively and sometimes pugnacious interpretation of the score, notably in the incisive playing of the winds and timpani. While there is much to praise in this recording, purists may raise an eyebrow over the lowered pitch of the entire opera, tuned to A430. Furthermore, they may be disturbed by the unexpected modulation at the opening of "Casta diva" and myriad embellishments in its second verse, where Bartoli imitates the dazzling effects that were expected of a singer in Bellini's day. However, a real drawback is the sound of the recording, which was made in a church, necessitating extremely close microphone placement and audio enhancements that sound artificially mixed. Even so, considering the merits of Bartoli's bold reassessment of this time-honored role, and the complete rethinking of performance practices to bring them in line with the latest scholarship, this recording deserves a serious hearing, even if it doesn't win over all traditionalists or replace cherished performances from the past.© TiVo

Maria Callas Vincenzo Bellini : Norma (1954) - Callas Remastered

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Vincenzo Bellini : Norma (1954) - Callas Remastered

Maria Callas

Opera - Released September 19, 2014 | Warner Classics

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Matilda Lloyd Casta Diva - Operatic arias transcribed for trumpet

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Casta Diva - Operatic arias transcribed for trumpet

Matilda Lloyd

Opera - Released April 28, 2023 | Chandos

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Five years after her solo debut recording, Direct Message, which programmed 20th and 21st century works for trumpet and piano, trumpet player Matilda Lloyd departs the traditional repertoire (aside from the two Arban arrangements from the Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet). Instead of following more well-worn routes, Lloyd elects to present a program of Romantic period opera arias, mostly in arrangements for trumpet and chamber orchestra (undertaken here by the Britten Sinfonia under Rumon Gamba) by William Foster, who worked closely with Lloyd on this project. Lloyd's skill as a musician is evident throughout, though the two Arban tracks most clearly allow her abilities to shine. The arrangements throughout are good, though how much they add to the performances rather than transcriptions and transpositions is up for debate. Lloyd notes with excitement the decision to include two pieces by Pauline Viardot, and one of the highlights here is the treatment of Viardot's Havanaise. This is certainly a trumpet release aimed at a wider audience than trumpet and brass circles, and it has already found success on the retail market. Chandos delivers just the right atmosphere from the Church of St. Augustine, Kilburn, in London. The future is bright for this trumpeter, and one looks forward to where her path may take her. © Keith Finke /TiVo

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Bellini: Norma

Montserrat Caballé

Opera - Released January 1, 1998 | Opera d'Oro

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Bellini: Norma

James Levine

Opera - Released January 1, 1980 | Sony Classical

Maria Callas Vincenzo Bellini : Norma (1960) - Callas Remastered

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Vincenzo Bellini : Norma (1960) - Callas Remastered

Maria Callas

Opera - Released September 19, 2014 | Warner Classics

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Alexander Markov Henry Vieuxtemps: Violin Works

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Henry Vieuxtemps: Violin Works

Alexander Markov

Classical - Released August 26, 2022 | Naxos

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Vieuxtemps transformed the technique and aesthetic of violin playing in the 19th century, and as a virtuoso exponent and composer he was considered a worthy successor to Paganini. His works for violin and orchestra illustrate two notable features – a liking for variation form and the fusion of emotional density with virtuosic flair. These can be heard in the impressive Variations on a Theme from Beethoven’s "Romance No. 1" and his Fantasie in E major "La sentimentale", one of his very greatest concert fantasies, where the music is influenced by bel canto. All of the works on this album were discovered after the composer’s death apart from the unfinished Violin Concerto No. 8 – one of Vieuxtemps’ last compositions and dedicated to his most illustrious pupil, Eugène Ysaÿe. © Naxos

Maria Callas Bellini: Norma (1952 - London) - Callas Live Remastered

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Bellini: Norma (1952 - London) - Callas Live Remastered

Maria Callas

Opera - Released November 4, 2003 | Warner Classics

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This is a reissue of Maria Callas' first Norma at Covent Garden. In fact, it was her first production of any opera there, one that marked the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship. As you would expect from a live recording made in 1952, the sound is not spectacular, but it is better than many from that era, and the performance is worth putting up with the noise. Norma was a signature role for Callas, and for good reason. She knew how to make bel canto work, how to find the essential and elusive balance between music and drama; every phrase is filled with pathos, but that pathos is communicated primarily through line and color -- very rarely through obvious emoting. Since she was still near the beginning of her international career, the freshness of her voice is still intact. This performance also features the legendary Ebe Stignani in the role of Adalgisa (one of her best), and the lesser-known but terrific Mirto Picchi and Giacomo Vaghi as Pollione and Oroveso, respectively. And, for the "before they were famous" file, listeners can find a young Joan Sutherland singing Clotilde -- ably, but not yet with the vocal presence that would mark her mature career. The package comes with a complete libretto and excellent notes.© TiVo

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Bellini: Norma

Maria Callas

Opera - Released January 1, 1961 | Warner Classics

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Any performance of Norma stands or falls on the performance of the title character, and this recording has one of the brightest superstars, Maria Callas, in one of her signature roles. EMI captured this performance just at a point when technical problems were beginning to take a toll on her voice, and while she may have less brilliance and vocal control than was apparent even a few years earlier, she still has plenty of stamina, her pianissimos are still floating, her coloratura is thrilling, and her long-held notes still sound effortless. She is occasionally less than fully secure in her lower register, though. Hers is a commanding presence, and she has the vocal personality and distinctiveness to make her a compelling high priestess. Callas' Norma is legendary, and this recording should be of interest to any fan of bel canto singing combined with burning dramatic urgency. Although Mario Filippeschi may not have the panache and vocal personality of some of his contemporary Polliones, but his is an entirely respectable traversal of the role, fully up to Bellini's technical demands. He has a large clarion tone, a heroic dramatic presence, a strong sense of passion, and he holds his own with Callas. As Oroveso, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni is dramatically authoritative, but he lacks the ideal vocal weight, power, and solidity for the role, and his pitch has a tendency to wobble and waver. Ebe Stigani is a very fine Adalgisa, but would have made a stronger impression paired with a singer less distinguished than Callas, in contrast to whose vibrancy she sounds somewhat matronly. Tullio Serafin leads the Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala in a proficient but routine reading of the score, without conveying a particularly strong sense of musical or dramatic shape, but he is fully sensitive to the singers, particularly Callas' expressive rhythmic suppleness. EMI's monaural sound is very fine for the period, with good clarity, fullness, and balance.© TiVo