Bellini's 1831 opera—in which the titular Druid high priestess becomes enraged when Pollione, her secret Roman lover, grows enamored of her younger colleague Adalgisa, leading Norma to incite rebellion against the occupiers and even threaten their two children—has been transplanted to many different times and locales. But director Àlex Ollé's concept for this 2016 production from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, must be considered bizarre by any standard. In what appears to be a contemporary setting, the Druids have become some sort of arch-conservative Catholic sect in which Norma (Sonya Yoncheva) presides over rituals against a wall covered in a baroque sea of crucifixes—which is only the most intrusive of the visual distractions in Alfons Flores's sets and Lluc Castells's costumes. Norma also features allusions to a fascistic military, the KKK, inquisitorial torture devices, and even Watership Down. Who exactly Pollione (Joseph Calleja), dressed in a simple business suit, represents in this weird context is unclear. The vocalism—by Yoncheva, Calleja, and Sonia Ganassi as Adalgisa—is strong, but it is often undercut by strange staging choices: Norma's famous aria Casta diva, a prayer to the moon goddess, is sung while a huge censer, spewing smoke, swings from the ceiling like a gigantic pendulum, and even the nobility of her death is crudely compromised. The fine work by the company chorus and orchestra under music director Antonio Pappano adds to the musical virtues of this production, but the visual oddities in Ollé's staging make this an also-ran among currently available offerings, including the 2015 production from Barcelona's Gran Teatro del Liceu starring Sondra Radvanovsky, (VL-3/17). Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and LPCM stereo, extras include a brief introduction, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a cast gallery. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)
Norma
(2016) 154 min. In Italian w/English subtitles. DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $39.99. Opus Arte (dist. by Naxos of America). Volume 33, Issue 2
Norma
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: