Sunday 21 January at 6.00pm on RNZ Concert
Metropolitan Opera 2017-18 Season
BELLINI: Norma
Premiere: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 1831. This opera is an extraordinary fusion of sublime melody, vocal challenge, and dramatic power. It examines an ageless and archetypal situation: a powerful woman compromises her ideals for love, only to find herself betrayed by her lover. But equally gripping is her relationship with the younger woman who is the new object of her former lover’s attention and in whom Norma sees both a rival and a second self. The title role demands dramatic vocal power combined with the agility and technique of a coloratura singer. It is a daunting challenge that few can rise to: those who have are part of operatic lore.
Norma.......................... Angela Meade
Adalgisa...................... Jamie Barton
Pollione....................... Joseph Calleja
Oroveso....................... Matthew Rose
Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra/Joseph Colaneri (EBU)