Norma - Vincenzo Bellini Performance of December 7th, 1955 at Teatro alla Scala, Milano conducted by A. Votto Teatro alla Scala Orchestra & Chorus Adalgisa: G. Simionato Pollione: M. Del Monaco Oroveso: N. Zaccaria HUNT CD517 1986 HRE 1007-2 1992 MELODRAM CDM 26036 1992 ARKADIA HP 517.2 1995 GALA GL 100.511 1993 BELCANTO BEL 6009 1999 Musical Excerpts Live performance Official recording Great Normas are rare, because, basically, the voice is constantly solicited and the role requires a great singing actress. In the twentieth century, the names of Lilli Lehmann and Rosa Ponselle can be cited as great Normas. After the Second World War came Callas: a brief period of splendour for both this opera and Callas, each one benefiting from the other. With Violetta, Norma was the role which suited her best; up to now Maria Callas is considered to have given the best performance of Norma ever, probably because she knew best how to combine two essential aspects of the role: the wilful priestess, with an intimidating aura and a stupefying vocal and musical vehemence (particularly vivid in the Trieste recording), and the woman both mother and lover (especially in the Covent Garden version). These two aspects are so well combined in the 1955 Scala recording that this makes it Callas’ most brilliant live rendering of Norma. Apart from the studio recordings (the mono one, in 1954, giving us a testimony of Callas in Norma at the peak of her art and the stereo one in 1960, where her interpretation had deepened but her voice was not there anymore), the live recordings could be ranked in the following order Scala 1955 RAI 1955 Trieste 1953 Covent Garden 1952 Mexico 1950 Paris 1965 (sound very bad, but Callas’ swan song)

Discography Live performances Performance of May 23th, 1950 at Palacio de Bellas-Artes, Mexico-City conducted by G. Picco Palacio de Bellas-Artes Orchestra & Chorus Adalgisa: G. Simionato Pollione: K. Baum Oroveso: N. Moscona MELODRAM MEL 26018 1988 MELODRAM GM 2.0015-10 CD 1997 URANIA URN 22.133 2000 MYTO 2CD002.H044 2000 FONO ENTERPRISE 1014.15 2001 Performance of November 18th, 1952 at Covent Garden, London conducted by V. Gui Covent Garden Theatre Orchestra & Chorus Adalgisa: E. Stignani Pollione: M. Picchi Oroveso: G Vaghi Clotilde: J. Sutherland LEGATO LCD-130-2 1988 MELODRAM MEL 26025 1988 VERONA 27018/20 1990 AS DISC NAS2801/03 1996 SAKKARIS PR.SR.277/278 1997 SAKKARIS SR.DIVA 1131/1132 1999 Performance of November 19th, 1953 at Teatro Verdi, Trieste conducted by A. Votto Teatro Verdi Orchestra & Chorus Adalgisa: E. Nicolai Pollione: F. Corelli Oroveso: B. Christoff MELODRAM MEL 26031 1991 MYTO 2MCD913.40 1991 DIVINA DVN-3 1997 DIVINA DVN-3 1999 DIVINA DVN-3 2000 MELODRAM GM 2.0040 2001 Radio broadcast of June 29th, 1955 at RAI Auditorium, Roma conducted by T. Serafin RAI Orchestra & Chorus Adalgisa: E. Stignani Pollione: M. Del Monaco Oroveso: G. Modesti FONIT CETRA CDC 4 1986 HUNT 2CDLSMH 34029 1988 VIRTUOSO 2699062 1989 ARKADIA CDMP 429.2 1991 MOVIMENTO MUSICA 013.014 NUOVA FONIT CETRA CDAR 2018 1994 EUROPA MUSICA 051014 1995 NUOVA FONIT CETRA CDO 121 1997 HOMMAGE 7001830-HOM 1999 Performance of October 29th, 1956 at Metropolitan Opera, New-York conducted by F. Cleva Adalgisa: F. Barbieri Pollione: M. Del Monaco Oroveso: C. Siepi Rare tape Performance of May 1964 at Palais Garnier, Paris conducted by G. Prêtre Palais Garnier Orchestra & Chorus Adalgisa: F. Cossotto Pollione: C. Craig Oroveso: I. Vinco Private live recording Performance of May 14th, 1965 at Palais Garnier, Paris conducted by G. Prêtre Palais Garnier Orchestra & Chorus Adalgisa: G. Simionato Pollione: G. Cecchele Oroveso: I. Vinco EKLIPSE EKR P-18 1996 GALA GL 100.523 1996 DIVINA DVN-10 1999 Official recordings Recorded from April 23th to May 3rd, 1954 at Teatro alla Scala, Milano conducted by T. Serafin Chorus Master: V. Veneziani Teatro alla Scala Orchestra & Chorus Adalgisa: E. Stignani Pollione: M. Filippeschi Oroveso: N. Rossi-Lemeni EMI Recorded from 5th to 12th of September, 1960 at Teatro alla Scala, Milano conducted by T. Serafin Chorus Master: N. Mola Teatro alla Scala Orchestra & Chorus Adalgisa: C. Ludwig Pollione: F. Corelli Oroveso: N. Zaccaria EMI