The Israel Opera’s current season starts with a bang – a new production of Bellini’s Celtic-themed opera Norma, conducted by Italian opera expert Daniel Oren.
Norma is a story of illicit love in the face of a violent culture clash. The title character is the High Priestess of the Druids in Gaul and the daughter of their leader. She is respected, even revered, by her people, who are not aware that she leads a double life. She has fallen in love with a Roman consul and borne him two children. Norma’s lover, Pollione, apparently has a weakness for Druid priestesses because he falls in love with yet another one – the young Adalgisa.
This production is in Israel for the first time, originally created by the late Italian director Alberto Fassini, a student of Visconti whose productions are still being performed all over the world. The production is traditional and simple. Tall, imposing stone pillars tower over the singers like a stark Stonehenge. The Druids are in furs and the Romans in breastplate. There are almost no props apart from the great gong which rallies the Druids to their leaders.
Maestro Oren is a magnet for talent, and as usual has delivered to us several singers we would very much like to hear again. We were lucky enough to hear renowned bel canto soprano Maria Pia Piscitelli in a role that she has begun to claim as her own. She portrays Norma’s complicated character perfectly, showing her terrifying power with an equally powerful voice and then revealing her fragile, human side with a crystalline pianissimo. Piero Giuliacci, a frequent guest of the Israel Opera, portrays Pollione with a voice reminiscent of the great Italian tenors of the past. Marina de Liso, a mezzo with magical soprano powers, matches Piscitelli perfectly.
Sharing these three very demanding main roles are two more casts of singers, some familiar, some new. Regulars Ira Bertman and Gustavo Porta are also appearing. New to the Israel Opera are soprano Hrachuhi Bassenz, from Armenia, as Norma, Mexican tenor Hector Sandoval as Pollione, and Jennifer Holloway as Adalgisa.
In these days of political drama, it’s interesting to remember the politics in this particular drama. One almost can’t talk about Italian Romantic opera without mentioning the Risorgimento – the movement for the unification of Italy. Under Austrian rule, protesting was forbidden, and so the operatic stage was a platform for complaining about the foreign overlords. In Norma, look for this in the Act III chorus “Guerra, guerra” – practically an incitement for rebellion.
Performances of Norma continue until December 17. As always, you can enjoy some extra behind-the-scenes events before and after the show: backstage tours (25 NIS), pre-performance lectures (free with a ticket), and post-performance talks with the singers (free and especially fun!)
For performance dates and ticket purchases, visit www.israel-opera.co.il or call 03-6927777.
