NORMA by Vincenzo Bellini (Canadian Opera Company). At the Four Seasons Centre (145 Queen West). Runs to November 5. $35-$350. coc.ca. See Continuing. Rating: NNNN
The title role of Bellini’s Norma is so difficult to sing and artistically challenging to perform that it can make careers and sometimes ruin them.
Sondra Radvanovsky‘s spectacular turn as the Druid high priestess plays to her considerable strengths: commanding presence, fiery dramatic intelligence and jaw-dropping vocal agility and accuracy.
What she demonstrates here in a way she hasn’t before in her previous outings with the Canadian Opera Company is an aching vulnerability, captured in several floating pianissimos. When these show up, often in the midst of passionate outcries of vengeance and jealousy, they’re heartbreaking.
Thankfully, the two other points in Norma’s 50 BCE love triangle are also impressive. Russell Thomas‘s two-timing Roman soldier, Pollione, is vigorous and clarion-horn clear, while Isabel Leonard, the young priestess he takes up with, is warm and believably torn between faith, friendship and love.
This new production is gritty and muscular, with sets (by David Korins) and costumes/makeup (by Jessica Jahn) that effectively evoke the savagery and rituals of Druidic life and mythology.
Director Kevin Newbury pays equal attention to the opera’s overall arc and the intimate struggles of its characters. And in the pit, conductor Stephen Lord and the COC orchestra add a sense of urgency and momentum to the melodic score.
But it’s Radvanovsky, who will be opening the Met Opera’s 2017 season in this role, who adds unforgettable nuance to this Norma.
