Norma discography
This is a list of recordings of Norma, a two-act opera by Vincenzo Bellini with an Italian-language libretto by Felice Romani. It was first performed on 26 December 1831, at La Scala in Milan.
Year | Cast: (Norma, Pollione, Adalgisa, Oroveso) | Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra (Recording/production details) | Label |
---|---|---|---|
1937 | Gina Cigna, Giovanni Martinelli, Bruna Castagna, Ezio Pinza | Ettore Panizza, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Live broadcast, 20 February 1937, Metropolitan Opera House) | CD: Metropolitan Opera[1] |
1937 | Gina Cigna, Giovanni Breviario, Ebe Stignani, Tancredi Pasero | Vittorio Gui, Orchestra and Chorus of the EIAR Torino | CD: Premiere Opera Cat: CDNO 322-2 |
1944 | Zinka Milanov, Frederick Jagel, Jennie Tourel, Norman Cordon | Cesare Sodero, Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra (Live broadcast, Metropolitan Opera House, 30 December 1944)[2] | CD: Myto Cat: 2 MCD 954.137 |
1952 | Maria Callas, Mirto Picchi, Ebe Stignani, Giacomo Vaghi, Clotilde: Joan Sutherland | Vittorio Gui, Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra (Recorded live, 8 November 1952)[3] | CD: EMI Classics Cat: 562 668-2 |
1954 | Maria Callas, Mario Filippeschi, Ebe Stignani Nicola Rossi-Lemeni | Tullio Serafin, Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala, (Studio recording, 23 April – 3 May 1954)[4] | LP: Columbia Cat: 33CX 1179-81 CD: EMI Classics Cat: 586 8342 |
1955 | Maria Callas, Mario del Monaco, Ebe Stignani, Giuseppe Modesti | Tullio Serafin, Orchestra and Chorus of the RAI Rome (Concert performance, Rome RAI, 29 June 1955)[5] | CD: Myto Cat: 00140 |
1955 | Maria Callas, Mario del Monaco, Giulietta Simionato, Nicola Zaccaria | Antonino Votto, Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala (Recorded live, 7 December 1955)[6] | CD: Myto Cat: MCD 00153 |
1960 | Maria Callas, Franco Corelli, Christa Ludwig, Nicola Zaccaria | Tullio Serafin, Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala (Studio recording, 5–12 September 1960)[7] | CD: EMI Classics Cat: CMS 5 66428-2 |
1964 | Joan Sutherland, John Alexander, Marilyn Horne, Richard Cross | Richard Bonynge, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, (Studio recording) | CD: Decca Cat: 475 7902; 000717202 (USA) |
1964 | Leyla Gencer, Bruno Prevedi, Adriana Lazzarini, William Wildermann | Bruno Bartoletti, Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Colón | CD: live-rare-opera Cat: Not given |
1967 | Elena Souliotis, Mario del Monaco, Fiorenza Cossotto, Carlo Cava | Silvio Varviso, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia | CD: London Cat: POCL 3824-5 |
1972 | Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Fiorenza Cossotto, Ruggero Raimondi | Carlo Felice Cillario, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus | LP: RCA Red Seal Cat: LSC-6202 CD: RCA Red Seal Cat: 88875073482 |
1973 | Montserrat Caballé, Carlo Cossutta, Fiorenza Cossotto, Giorgio Tozzi | Carlo Felice Cillario, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Recorded live, 17 February 1973) | Streaming audio: Met Opera on Demand[8] |
1973 | Beverly Sills, Enrico Di Giuseppe, Shirley Verrett, Paul Plishka | James Levine, New Philharmonia Orchestra, John Alldis Choir | LP: ABC Cat: ATS-20017 CD: DGG Cat: 477 8186 |
1974 | Montserrat Caballé, Jon Vickers, Josephine Veasey Agostino Ferrin | Giuseppe Patanè, Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Regio di Torino, (Recorded live, 27 July, Théâtre antique d'Orange, Orange Festival) | CD: Opera d'Oro Cat: OPD 1140; DVD: VAI[9] Cat: 4229 |
1979 | Renata Scotto, Giuseppe Giacomini, Tatiana Troyanos, Paul Plishka | James Levine, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus | CD: Sony Cat: 88697446182 |
1981 | Joan Sutherland, Francisco Ortiz, Tatiana Troyanos, Justino Diaz | Richard Bonynge, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and Chorus | DVD: VAI Cat: DVDVAI 4202 |
1984 | Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballé, Samuel Ramey | Richard Bonynge, Orchestra and Chorus of the Welsh National Opera | CD: London Cat: POCL 2891-3 |
1986 | Maria Bieșu, Gegam Grigoryan, Ludmila Nam Georgi Seleznev | Mark Ermler, Orchestra and Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre | CD: Melodiya Cat: MCD 160 |
1994 | Jane Eaglen, Vincenzo La Scola, Eva Mei, Dmitri Kavrakos | Riccardo Muti, Orchestra and chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Teatro Alighieri, Ravenna, VII 1994) | CD: EMI Cat: B008L41Z0Q |
2001 | June Anderson, Shin Young Hoon, Daniela Barcellona, Ildar Abdrazakov | Fabio Biondi, Europa Galante, Verdi Festival Chorus (Recorded live, March 2001, Teatro Regio, Parma) | DVD: TDK Cat: DV ONOR |
2005 | Dimitra Theodossiou, Carlo Ventre, Nidia Palacios, Riccardo Zanellato | Giuliano Carella, Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Massimo Bellini (Catania) (Recorded live, June) | DVD: Dynamic Cat: 33493[10] |
2007 | Dimitra Theodossiou, Carlo Ventre, Daniela Barcellona, Simon Orfila | Paolo Arrivabeni, Fondazione Orchestra Regionale delle Marche, Coro Lirico Marchigiano "Vincenzo Bellini" (Recorded live, August 2007, Sferisterio Opera Festival, Macerata) | DVD: Dynamic[11] Cat: 33561 |
2013 | Cecilia Bartoli, John Osborn, Sumi Jo Michele Pertusi | Giovanni Antonini, Orchestra La Scintilla, Zurich (playing on period instruments) | CD: Decca Cat: 0289 478 3517 2[12] |
2015 | Sondra Radvanovsky, Gregory Kunde, Ekaterina Gubanova, Raymond Aceto | Renato Palumbo, Gran Teatre del Liceu orchestra and chorus (Kevin Newbury, stage director; recorded live, February 2015) | Blu-ray/DVD: C major[13] Cat:737208 |
2016 | Sonya Yoncheva, Joseph Calleja, Sonia Ganassi, Brindley Sherratt | Antonio Pappano, The Royal Opera orchestra and chorus (Àlex Ollé, stage director; recorded live, 26 September 2016) | HD video: Royal Opera Stream[14] Blu-ray/DVD: Opus Arte[15] Cat:OA1247D |
2017 | Sondra Radvanovsky, Joseph Calleja, Joyce DiDonato, Matthew Rose | Carlo Rizzi, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (David McVicar, production; recorded live, 7 October 2017) | HD video: Met Opera on Demand[16] Blu-ray/DVD: Erato[17] |
2018 | Mariella Devia, Stefan Pop, Annalisa Stroppa, Riccardo Fassi | Andrea Battistoni, Teatro Carlo Felice orchestra and chorus (Teatrialchemici, Luigi di Gangi and Ugo Giacomazzi, stage direction) | DVD: Bongiovanni Cat: AB 20041 |
2025 | Asmik Grigorian, Freddie De Tommaso, Aigul Akhmetshina, Tareq Nazmi | Francesco Lanzillotta, Theater an der Wien, Wiener Symphoniker, Vienna (Stage director: Vasily Barkhatov; recorded live, 23 February) | Streaming video: Arte[18] |
Note: "Cat:" is short for catalogue number by the label company.
References
- ^ Norma, Met Opera broadcast of 20 February 1937: OCLC 57372177; Met Opera Database, CID:120790; mentioned as "the legendary 1937 MET broadcast" by Joseph Newsome in "Cecilia Bartoli as Norma", Opera Today, 30 May 2013.
- ^ Norma, Metropolitan Opera House, 30 December 1944, Met Opera Database.
- ^ Ardoin 1977, pp. 56–58: "Callas was in top vocal form, apart from the opening scene [with the aria 'Casta Diva']".
- ^ Ardoin 1977, pp. 78–79: Callas sings Norma as "more the warrior than the woman".
- ^ Ardoin 1977, p. 99: "closer to the London performance of 1952, and in several instances betters it. Norma the warrior is less dominant." Some stridency in top notes until the third [sic] act.
- ^ Ardoin 1977, p. 106: Callas "in stupendous voice".
- ^ Norma, Teatro alla Scala studio recording, 5–12 September 1960: CD (OCLC 456198404, 1374303459); Ardoin 1977, pp. 157–158: "This Norma is more giving [than in the 1954 EMI recording], more many-sided, more complex, and drawn in finer lines. 'Casta Diva', for example, is quieter, more mesmerizing (with with phrase endings exquisitely tapered into silence)".
- ^ Norma Met Opera, 17 February 1973, Met Opera on Demand; CID: 232540, Met Opera Database. Also available for streaming via Apple Music and for download in the iTunes Store.
- ^ OCLC 612621943.
- ^ John Steane, "Not ringing my bel canto", Gramophone (October 2006), p. 111. See also OCLC 893638727.
- ^ OCLC 251853765.
- ^ Joseph Newsome, "Cecilia Bartoli as Norma", in Opera Today, 30 May 2013.
- ^ Norma, Liceu, 2015: Blu-ray (ASIN B01IQEGCGW); DVD (OCLC 962186602).
- ^ Norma (2016)", Royal Ballet & Opera Stream. Also available via medici.tv.
- ^ Norma, Royal Opera, 2016: Blu-ray (OCLC 1038020977); DVD (OCLC 1011631803).
- ^ Norma, Met Opera, 7 October 2017, Met Opera on Demand; CID: 356753, Met Opera Database.
- ^ Norma, Met Opera, 2017: Blu-ray (OCLC 1082339499); DVD (OCLC 1082868346).
- ^ Norma Vienna 2025, Opera on Video, retrieved 19 July 2025; Carnegie Hall+.
- Sources
- Recordings of Norma on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
- Ardoin, John (1977). The Callas Legacy. New York: Charels Scribner's Sons. ISBN 0-684-15297-5.