Norma

opera by Vincenzo Bellini

Performed in Italian (the performance will have synchronised Russian supertitles)
 

World premiere: 26 December 1831, Teatro alla Scala, Milan
Premiere at the Bolshoi (Kamennyi) Theatre: 8 November 1843, Imperial Italian Opera Company
First production at the Mariinsky Theatre: 13 November 1861
Premiere of this production: 22 May 2025


Running time: 3 hours
The performance has one interval

Age category: 12+

Credits

Music by Vincenzo Bellini
Libretto by Felice Romani after the eponymous French tragedy by Louis Alexandre Soumet

Musical Director: Valery Gergiev
Director: Sergei Novikov
Set and Costume Designer: Sergei Novikov
Lighting Designer: Ruslan Mayorov
Video Designer: Dmitry Ivanchenko
Musical Preparation: Grigory Yakerson
Chorus Master: Konstantin Rylov

SYNOPSIS

Act I
Scene 1
At the sacred oak of Irminsul, the god of the druids in Roman-occupied Gaul, the priests, led by Oroveso, prepare for a sacred ritual. They dream of casting off Roman rule and reclaiming their sanctuaries from imperial desecration. They await the appearance of the high priestess Norma, who alone can divine the god’s will by cutting the enchanted mistletoe that grows upon the sacred oak.
Nearby, the Roman proconsul Pollione and his fellow officer Flavio reflect on their ten-year command of the province. During that time, Pollione seduced Norma, who bore him two sons in secret. Now, however, he is enamoured of a young temple acolyte, Adalgisa, and plans to return to Rome with her. At the sound of the sacred trumpet, the Romans withdraw to avoid being seen.
The druids enter solemnly. Oroveso calls for war, but Norma descends in splendour and counsels patience. Speaking in the name of Irminsul, she commands the Gauls to disarm, prophesying that Rome will fall not to barbarian arms but to its own corruption. As proof of divine authority, she cuts the mistletoe with a golden sickle and offers it for use in a ritual brew.
While the others perform the rites, Norma is lost in thought – anxious over Pollione’s absence from her hidden refuge. As the ceremony ends, Adalgisa remains alone and prays to be freed from her forbidden love for the Roman. Pollione arrives and persuades her to forsake her vows and flee with him to Rome.

Scene 2
In her secluded dwelling, Norma grieves over Pollione’s imminent departure and suspects his waning affection. The sight of their children, reminders of their bond, causes her both sorrow and pain.
Adalgisa enters, seeking to confess her love for a man and to ask release from her vows. Remembering her own past, Norma considers granting her request. But when Pollione arrives and the children rush to greet him, the truth is revealed – he is Adalgisa’s beloved. Norma is devastated by the betrayal. Pollione, determined to leave, urges Adalgisa to come with him. Horrified by his faithlessness, she refuses.

Act II
Scene 1
Norma, consumed by despair, contemplates ending her life. She considers killing her children to spare them future humiliation or enslavement. Overcome with maternal love, she cannot bring herself to do it.
Instead, she begs Adalgisa to take the boys to Rome and raise them as her own. Adalgisa declines – not out of unwillingness to help but because she refuses to marry a man who betrayed Norma. Her only desire is to reconcile Norma and Pollione. A faint hope stirs in Norma’s heart.

Scene 2
The druids prepare arms for the long-awaited revolt. Oroveso arrives with troubling news: Pollione has been recalled and will soon be replaced by a new proconsul, who may prove even harsher. Yet the gods still demand restraint.

Scene 3
Norma waits at the temple, hopeful. But Clotilde brings grave news: Adalgisa’s pleas have failed – Pollione remains resolute and now plans to abduct her from the temple. Enraged, Norma strikes the sacred bronze shield, summoning the Gauls to war.
As the warriors gather, they present the sword of Brennus, legendary victor over Rome, symbolising their readiness for battle. A sacrificial victim is required. Soldiers bring in the captured Pollione, caught attempting to kidnap Adalgisa. The druids decree that he shall die.
Norma, torn between justice and love, cannot strike the fatal blow. Left alone with him, she offers to spare his life – if he renounces Adalgisa. He refuses. She threatens to kill their children and Adalgisa; still, he begs only for his own death.
Summoning the druids, Norma declares that she herself is the guilty priestess. Pollione is stunned by her self-sacrifice. The Gauls are outraged that their revered high priestess has betrayed her vows, yet Norma’s confession is sincere. She entrusts her children to Oroveso and Clotilde.
Suddenly, lightning strikes the mountain and a volcano erupts. The druids, interpreting this as divine wrath, flee the temple. Norma remains, and Pollione, moved by the nobility of her sacrifice, chooses to die with her.
Sergey Novikov, stage director

The title character of Vincenzo Bellini’s opera bears the name Norma — a word that, in Italian, translates as “standard” or “measure,” both in the mathematical and moral sense. Yet from the standpoint of social convention Norma’s conduct is more than reproachable: as a high priestess of the Druids, she breaks two sacred laws – entering into a physical relationship and falling in love with a Roman, despite her allegiance to the Gallic people. It is only through her own voluntary death that she is able to reconcile her love for her homeland, her beloved and her sons. In telling the story of a woman who embodies ideal beauty – both physical and spiritual – Bellini and his longtime librettist Felice Romani created the standard of Italian Romantic opera in the bel canto style. Composed for the famed prima donna Giuditta Pasta, the role of Norma has become one of the crown jewels of the soprano repertoire. In this part Bellini combined searing tragic intensity with delicate, crystalline coloratura and a warm, lyrical cantilena.
In the 19th century Maria Malibran dazzled audiences as the Celtic priestess; in the 20th – unforgettable portrayals of Norma were created by Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland and Montserrat Caballé. The pinnacle of the role – and indeed of the entire opera – is the entrancing aria Casta diva (“Chaste Goddess”), Norma’s prayer to the moon for peace, whose exquisite melody seems to float weightlessly through the air.
But Norma is far more than just its most famous aria. In addition to the title role, Bellini created another extraordinary soprano part – that of Adalgisa, the young priestess. The duet between Norma and Adalgisa – friends, yet rivals – ranks among the finest ensemble pieces in the history of opera. The third point in this love triangle is the Roman proconsul Pollione, a tenor role. While perhaps less nuanced than the opera’s two central female characters, it requires no less vocal mastery.
The success of Norma depends above all on the performers of these three central roles. But Bellini’s melodramma tragico is by no means just a parade of solo voices. The chorus plays a role of great importance. The opera’s choral scenes are imbued with the spirit of elevated ancient tragedy – a presence that must surely have influenced the Sicilian-born composer.
“Melodie lunghe lunghe lunghe” – “long, long, long melodies” – is how Verdi described Bellini’s seemingly endless musical lines. Wagner, whose own aesthetic was of a very different order, remained an admirer of Norma throughout his life. He famously remarked that shedding tears during a performance of Norma was nothing to be ashamed of. “Singing, singing and again singing” – this, to Wagner, was the essence of Bellini’s music.
The Mariinsky Theatre now invites all lovers of bel canto to experience that essence once again. Following a series of concert performances, the theatre this season embarks on a long-anticipated fully staged production of Bellini’s masterpiece. Khristina Batyushina

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