The piece is regarded as one of the best examples of the “Bel Canto” style in which the drama is expressed through vocal lines of extraordinary beauty and grandeur that demand exceptional technical control.
Its most famous aria CASTA DIVA has been a showcase for many of opera's most acclaimed sopranos including Giuditta Pasta who created the role, Rosa Ponselle, Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Montserrat Caballé and Cecilia Bartoli. But the work is also noted for its powerful choral episodes and two magnificent duets for the two sopranos.
The English National Opera (ENO) is to stage its first ever production of Bellini’s Bel "canto" masterpiece NORMA.
It concerns a close knit community contemplating war. The people want it but their priestess, Norma, secretly in love with one of the enemy, Pollione, resists. But now he has a new love and in the face of his betrayal it seems Norma is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.
This production relocates the setting from Gaul under Roman occupation to an imagined American Mid-West of the late 19th Century and is staged by award-winning director Christopher Alden.
The production was first seen at Opera North in 2012 where it was described as 'alive, energising and absorbing' by the Daily Telegraph. It was subsequently seen in Chemnitz and Bordeaux.
Rising star soprano Marjorie Owens makes her UK, ENO, and role debut in the demanding title role. A recent AIDA at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, Marjorie was also a company member of Semperoper in Dresden where her roles included Daphne, Senta, Ariadne, Amelia Grimaldi and Elisabetta in DON CARLO.
American soprano Jennifer Holloway returns to ENO in the role of Adalgisa, which she sang in this production in Bordeaux. Previously here she has sung Musetta and Prince Orlofsky.
British tenor Peter Auty debuts in the role of Pollione and even if you’re not an opera buff you’ll have heard his beautiful voice singing the hit Christmas song WALKING IN THE AIR which he recorded as a boy chorister in 1982.
He has previously sung for ENO in THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST, DER ROSENKAVALIER, RIGOLETTO and LA BOHÈME. Formerly a company principal at the Royal Opera House he has also performed with Grange Park Opera, Glyndebourne, Opera North and Scottish Opera.
English National Opera is founded on the belief that opera of the highest quality should be accessible to everyone and they sing in English considering this best connects the performers and the audience to the drama on stage, enhancing the experience for all.
They claim to “tell the world's most timeless stories, unforgettably” Let’s see if they can work that magic on this seldom performed classic.
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