Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
Norma, tragic opera in two acts (1831)
Norma: Maria Callas (soprano)
Pollione: Franco Corelli (tenor)
Adalgisa: Christa Ludwig (mezzo-soprano)
Oroveso: Nicola Zaccaria (bass)
Flavio: Piero De Palma (tenor)
Clotilde: Edda Vincenzi (soprano)
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala / Tullio Serafin
rec. studio recording, 1960, XR Remastering
Pristine Audio PACO215 [3 CDs: 161]

The latest incarnation of a classic Norma has already been reviewed on MusicWeb by Ralph Moore and Philip Tsaras. They were in substantial agreement with each other, and in the main with other reviews, on these critical points:

1. the pre-eminence of Maria Callas in the title role across the history of recordings of the work, and the value of this particular version, a studio recording from 1960, among her several accounts on disc;
2. the existence, but ultimately restricted importance, of flaws in Callas’s vocal production, on this version, as on others (but the expressive skill and high dramatic engagement triumphed over technical limits in her singing);
3. the strength of comparable vocal and dramatic qualities in the other leading cast members – tenor Franco Corelli’s Pollione, mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig’s Adalgisa, and bass Nicola Zaccaria’s Oroveso;
4. the calibre of playing and the supportive conducting from the Orchestra of La Scala, Milan, under Tullio Serafin;
5. the good stereo sound, as enhanced by the Pristine Audio remastering.

I concur, and I doubt I can add to my colleagues’ detailed comments, especially their acute perception of the high calibre and unique value of Maria Callas’s moving interpretation, and yes, even the underpinning vocal skill. There can be perfect singing in vocal art, and there can be dramatic truth to a character and situation in opera, and they are not always the same thing. Callas, like most great artists, had no doubt which mattered more.

Bellini probably expected a singer rather like Callas, schooled in bel canto, with the flexibility to cope with florid coloratura but also the command of the lyrical line, and the vocal colour, to encompass pathos and fiery passion. No wonder Lilli Lehmann thought Norma the most difficult of all her roles – she was not alone – even more difficult than Brünnhilde which she also sang. And Callas was to the forefront of the post-war Bellini revival that returned Norma to the international prominence it had enjoyed in the primo ottocento. This recording, then, is rather more than another reissue: it is a piece of operatic history.

My colleagues were silent in the matter of supporting material. No booklet with libretto or translation comes with my discs, and the tracks with timings are listed on the cardboard package. There is also extract from Desmond Shawe-Taylor’s 1962 Gramophone article (explaining why he regarded this as a superior representation of Callas’s Norma, with details of the vocal flaws, but much more on the “incomparable art”), and a short note by Andrew Rose of Pristine Audio (on Callas’s career as a recording artist and the outcome of the XR remastering process).

Pristine Classical tells us that those who buy directly from their website get free material in addition to the downloaded audio tracks or the discs. There is a full orchestral score, a vocal score with Italian and English sung text, and the Italian libretto. There is also artwork, including a PDF file which can be printed to fit a standard CD jewel case. For some opera listeners, nothing quite replaces a full libretto on facing pages, but it is all available in formats convenient for computer or tablet owners.

So, this is a special reissue, well remastered to a sound picture rather fuller than earlier. If you want to know exactly where this recording can be placed among the other important ones, Ralph Moore contributed a substantial and authoritative survey of Norma sound recordings (a PDF file), in which this account was adjudged the best of all.

Let me close with two amusing quotations which illustrate the importance of the lead singer here, and of the composer of this tragic masterpiece.

Don’t believe singers who tell you they are not influenced by Callas. We sopranos all get up in the morning, and after the coffee and orange juice put on our Callas CDs and try to learn. (Katia Ricciarelli in interview)

In my Eden a person who dislikes Bellini has the good manners not to get born. (W.H.Auden)

Roy Westbrook

Previous reviews: Ralph Moore (July 2024) ~ Philip Tsaras (October 2024)