Norma is a lyric tragedy or opera in two acts composed by Vincenzo Bellini. The libretto, or text of the opera, was written by Felice Romani based on the play Norma, ou L'infanticide (Norma, or The Infanticide) by Alexandre Soumet. The opera premiered at La Scala in Milan on December 26, 1831.
This opera is considered a key example of the bel canto style, a type of opera known for its focus on vocal beauty and musical expression. A famous part of the opera is the soprano's prayer, "Casta diva," performed in Act 1. In the first half of the 20th century, Rosa Ponselle was a well-known singer who performed the role of Norma in New York and London. After World War II, notable performers of the title role included Maria Callas, Leyla Gencer, Joan Sutherland, and Montserrat Caballé.
Composition history
Crivelli and Company managed both La Scala and La Fenice in Venice. Because of this, Bellini was able to make a deal with them in April–May 1830 for two operas, one at each theater. The opera scheduled for December 1831 at La Scala was called Norma, while the one planned for the 1832 Carnival season at La Fenice was named Beatrice di Tenda.
After Bellini’s opera La sonnambula was successfully performed in March 1831, and after Giuditta Pasta showed her strong singing and acting skills in the role of Amina, a Swiss village girl, she was hired by La Scala for her first performance in the next season. Bellini and Romani then began thinking about the subject for the autumn opera. By summer, they decided to base it on a play by Alexandre Soumet, which was being performed in Paris at that time and which Pasta had likely seen.
For the upcoming autumn/winter season, La Scala hired Giulia Grisi (the sister of Giuditta Grisi) and the famous tenor Domenico Donzelli, who was known for his performances in Rossini’s operas, especially the role of Otello. They would play the roles of Adalgisa and Pollione. Donzelli gave Bellini detailed information about his singing abilities, which were also confirmed by a report from the Neapolitan composer Saverio Mercadante. By the end of August, Romani had written a large part of the libretto, enough for Bellini to start composing. Bellini began work in the first weeks of September as the lyrics were provided. He wrote in a letter to Pasta on September 1:
Norma was completed by the end of November. For Romani, it became “the most beautiful rose in the garland” of all his work with Bellini. However, it was not created easily. Bellini, at the peak of his talent, was very strict with his librettist and required many changes before he was satisfied enough to set the text to music.
Performance history
After rehearsals began on December 5, 1831, Pasta refused to sing the "Casta diva" in Act 1, which is now one of the most famous arias of the nineteenth century. She believed the piece was not well-suited for her voice, but Bellini convinced her to continue practicing for a week. After that time, she adapted to the aria and admitted she had been wrong. At the opera's opening night, the audience showed little interest, as described by Weinstock as "chill indifference." On the night of the premiere, Bellini wrote to his friend Francesco Florimo, "Fiasco! Fiasco! Solemn fiasco!" He also shared how the audience's lack of enthusiasm affected him.
In a letter to his uncle on December 28, Bellini explained the reasons for the poor reception. Some problems were related to the opera's structure and content, while others were due to outside factors. Bellini mentioned that the singers were very tired after rehearsing the entire second act on the day of the premiere. He also noted that some parts of the opera did not please the audience or even the composer himself. However, he added that most of the second act was successful. Weinstock reported that the second performance was more successful, and from that point forward, the opera was recognized as a success. By the end of the nineteenth century, it was performed 208 times at La Scala alone.
Bellini also mentioned that some audience members, including a newspaper owner and his supporters, as well as a wealthy woman named Contessa Giulia Samoyloff, who was the mistress of composer Giovanni Pacini, reacted negatively to the opera. Bellini had long felt rivalry with Pacini, especially after the failure of his own opera, Zaira, in Parma and Pacini's success with Il Talismano at La Scala, which was performed 16 times. Bellini felt vindicated when he staged a successful revival of his own opera, Il pirata, which was performed 24 times in a row between July 16 and August 23, 1829.
Bellini noted that the second performance of Norma was well-attended. During its first season at La Scala, the opera was performed 34 times. Reports from other cities, especially Bergamo, where it was staged in late 1832, showed that the opera was becoming more popular. Between 1831 and 1850, Weinstock recorded many performances of the opera in cities outside Italy.
Bellini left Milan for Naples and Sicily on January 5, 1832, and for the first time since 1827, he did not write an opera in 1832. Norma quickly became popular across Europe within a few years.
Richard Wagner conducted Norma in Riga in 1837. Following nineteenth-century traditions of adding extra arias, Wagner wrote a new aria for the bass and men's chorus for this performance. However, this aria is not part of the standard version of the opera. Wagner praised Norma, calling it "Bellini's most successful composition." He described the opera as a powerful example of Bellini's talent and compared it to Greek tragedy.
Wagner also praised the libretto written by Romani.
Norma had its British premiere in London on June 20, 1833, and its American premiere in New Orleans on April 1, 1836. In the 1840s, during the Risorgimento era, parts of the opera's music were used in national celebrations, such as the 1848 celebration of Sicily's liberation from the Bourbons in Palermo, where the "Guerra, guerra" chorus from Act 2 was performed. Norma was first performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on February 27, 1890, with Lilli Lehmann singing the title role in German.
The Metropolitan Opera revived Norma in 1927, with Rosa Ponselle in the title role.
During the late twentieth century, the bel canto revival brought renewed attention to Norma. The most famous performer of the role was Maria Callas, a Greek-American soprano, who performed it 89 times, including several live recordings and two studio versions from 1954 and 1960. Callas first performed Norma in Florence in November/December 1948 and later in Buenos Aires, Venice, Mexico, London, Chicago, and New York. In 1960, she performed Norma in the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, Greece, with the Greek National Opera. After a few years of limited performances, she returned to Norma in Paris in 1965. She was unable to complete her final performance on May 25 but sang one more performance of Tosca in London a week later, marking her last staged opera performance.
Singers in the title role
The title role in the opera Norma is one of the most challenging parts for a soprano singer. It requires strong control over a wide vocal range, flexibility, and the ability to express a variety of emotions, such as conflict between personal and public life, romantic feelings, maternal love, friendship, jealousy, violent intentions, and acceptance. German soprano Lilli Lehmann once said that singing all three Brünnhilde roles in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen in one evening would be less stressful than singing Norma. She also noted that singing Wagner's operas allows performers to focus on dramatic expression, while singing Bellini's works, like Norma, demands careful attention to vocal beauty and technique. These comments were reported by The Herald Tribune critic Henry Krehbiel, as recorded by the Met Opera Archives.
Many singers have performed the role of Norma throughout the 20th century. In the early 1920s, Rosa Raisa, Claudia Muzio, and Rosa Ponselle were highly praised for their performances. Maria Callas became a leading interpreter of the role after World War II. She recorded the opera twice in a studio for EMI/HMV and performed it live on radio multiple times between the 1950s and 1965.
In the 1960s, two distinct singers took on the role: Australian soprano Dame Joan Sutherland and Turkish soprano Leyla Gencer. After Sutherland's 1963 debut as Norma, tenor Luciano Pavarotti called her "the greatest female voice of all time."
In 1970, Dutch coloratura soprano Cristina Deutekom performed the role. During the 1970s, four other bel canto specialists made their debuts as Norma: Radmila Bakočević, Montserrat Caballé, Beverly Sills, and Renata Scotto. Also performing the role during this time were Grace Bumbry and Shirley Verrett, who began their careers as mezzo-sopranos and later sang soprano roles.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the role was performed by singers such as Katia Ricciarelli, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Marisa Galvany, Dame Gwyneth Jones, and Jane Eaglen. Other notable performers include Hasmik Papian, Fiorenza Cedolins, Galina Gorchakova, Maria Guleghina, Nelly Miricioiu, June Anderson, Edita Gruberová, and Carmela Remigio, who often sings the role of Adalgisa instead.
In 2008, Daniela Dessì performed as Norma at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. In 2010 (Dortmund) and 2013 (Salzburg Festival), mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli sang the role, with coloratura soprano Sumi Jo performing Adalgisa. In 2011, Sondra Radvanovsky added the role to her repertoire, later performing it in 2014 at the San Francisco Opera and in 2017 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 2013, Italian soprano Mariella Devia, at age 65, made her debut as Norma at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna after a 40-year career. Angela Meade has performed the role frequently, including in 2013 and 2017 at the Metropolitan Opera.
In 2025, Jessica Pratt performed the role at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, singing the aria "Casta Diva" in its original key of G Major for the first time in the theater where the opera was first written.
Summary
The story takes place in Gaul during the time when the Romans controlled the region. It focuses on a love triangle involving Pollione, a Roman leader in Gaul; Norma, his former partner; and Adalgisa, a young Druid priestess. The background includes a rebellion by the Gallic people against the Roman rulers, led by the Druid Oroveso.
Norma is the high priestess of the Druid temple and has two children with Pollione. She broke her religious vows of purity by being with Pollione. She later learns that Pollione now loves Adalgisa. Norma tries to persuade Pollione to leave Adalgisa and return to her, but he refuses. Norma then publicly admits her mistake and is sentenced to be burned to death. Pollione is inspired by Norma's willingness to sacrifice herself and chooses to die with her.
Synopsis
- Sinfonia
Oroveso leads the druids in a procession in the forest to pray for victory against the invading Romans: (Oroveso and druids: "Ite sul colle, o druidi" / "Go into the hills, Druids"). The druids pray that Norma will come and have the courage to help make peace with the Romans: (Druids and Oroveso: "Dell'aura tua profetica" / "With thy prophetic aura, imbue her, O terrible God"). All leave to go to the temple.
Pollione and Flavio enter. Although Norma has secretly broken her vows to love him and has two children with him, Pollione tells Flavio that he no longer loves Norma, having fallen in love with the priestess Adalgisa. But he expresses some regret, describing his dream in which Adalgisa was beside him at the altar of Venus and a huge storm arose: (Pollione, aria: "Meco all'altar di Venere" / "With me at the altar in Rome was Adalgisa dressed in white, veiled all in white."). The storm warned of disaster for both Norma and himself: "Thus does Norma punish her faithless lover," he declares. They hear the trumpets sounding to announce Norma's arrival. Flavio urges his friend to leave, but Pollione stands firm, proclaiming that he will confront Norma and the druids with a superior power and destroy their altars: (Cabaletta: "Me protegge, me difende" / "I am protected and defended").
As Norma leads the druids and priestesses, the crowd proclaims: "Norma viene" / "Norma is coming" and, as Oroveso awaits her, they describe her dress and manner. All kneel as she approaches. "The time is not ripe for our revenge," she declares, stating that Rome will fall one day from being worn down. Then, with the mistletoe in hand, she approaches the altar with a plea to the moon (the "Chaste Goddess"): (cavatina: "Casta diva" / "Chaste goddess"). She pleads that the goddess bring peace from heaven to earth. She calls for all to complete the rites and then clear the uninitiated from the grove. To herself, she declares that she cannot hurt Pollione, but desires that things return to how they were: (Cabaletta: "Ah! bello a me ritorna" / "Return to me, O beautiful one"). The assembled crowd accepts her cautious approach, and all leave the grove.
Later that night: The Temple of Irminsul in the grove
Adalgisa prays at the temple, remembering with some sorrow how she became involved with Pollione. He enters, telling her that she prays to a cruel god and is not trying to invoke the god of love. As she appears to reject him, he declares (Aria: "Va crudele" / "Go, O cruel one") but he is convinced that he cannot leave her. He is distraught, and she does not show she is equally torn, until the moment he declares that he must return to Rome the following day. He begs Adalgisa to go with him: (Duet: Pollione, then Adalgisa, then together: "Vieni in Roma" / "Come to Rome"). She resists him, but finally agrees that they will leave together the following day.
Norma appears upset and orders her maid, Clotilde, to take the two children away from her, expressing very mixed feelings about them. She tells Clotilde that Pollione has been recalled to Rome, but does not know if he will take her or how he feels about leaving his children. As Adalgisa approaches, the children are taken away.
Adalgisa tells Norma she has fallen in love with a Roman, whom she does not name. As she describes how she fell in love while waiting at the temple and seeing "his handsome face" appear, Norma recalls (as an aside) her own feelings for Pollione ("my passions, too, burned like this"), and more and more, their experiences of falling in love run parallel: (Norma and Adalgisa, duet: "Sola, furtiva al tempio" / "Often I would wait for him"). Adalgisa pleads for help and forgiveness, and Norma pledges that she will do that and will also free her from her vows as a priestess: (Norma: "Ah! sì, fa core, abbracciami" / "Yes, take heart, embrace me". Adalgisa: "Ripeti, o ciel, ripetimi" / "Say that again, heavens, say again").
Norma asks Adalgisa to describe the man whom she loves. Responding, she tells her that he is a Roman, and, at that moment, turns to indicate that it is Pollione who is just then entering the room. As Norma furiously turns to confront Pollione, Adalgisa is confused: Norma: "Oh! non tremare, o perfido
Music
Giuseppe Verdi made some insightful comments in a letter from May 1898. He wrote to Camille Belaigue, who had recently published a book about Bellini. In the letter, Verdi discussed Bellini’s work.
David Kimbell notes that Bellini’s most amazing accomplishment in Norma is how he combined dramatic poetry and music in a special way, even though other parts of the opera are more exciting. Kimbell also explains that Bellini’s ability to blend music with meaningful storytelling appears in other operas he composed.
Schopenhauer's praise
Schopenhauer said that tragedy can make a person watching it not want to live anymore. He praised Norma for its excellent art in causing this effect.
Ibsen parody
"Norma, or A Politician's Love" (Norwegian: "Norma eller En Politikers Kjærlighed") is a short play written as an opera parody by Henrik Ibsen. It was inspired by Bellini's "Norma," which Ibsen saw in 1851, but the characters in Ibsen's work are modern politicians. The play was first published anonymously in the satirical magazine Andhrimner in 1851. It was first published in book form in 1909, and the first performance of the play took place at a student theater in Trondheim in 1994.
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Writer Marion Zimmer Bradley said that the story of her 1993 historical fantasy novel The Forest House was inspired by the tale of Norma. In the book, the setting of Norma’s story was moved from Gaul to Britain, but the main events of the story remain the same: a romantic relationship between a priestess of the druids and a Roman soldier. Bradley also explained that, as a tribute to Bellini, the hymns in chapters 5 and 22 of her book were taken from the libretto of the opera’s act 1, scene 1, and the hymns in chapter 30 were taken from act 2, scene 2.