Norma

Last night I saw what to me was probably one of the BEST live operatic performances I have seen thus far in my life. I knew I loved Bellini for a reason. Being a Maria Callas buff I of course have listened to Norma many many times-however this experience was the first actually seeing it and hearing it live-and at the Met. to top that off. This was a first rate production in every way! We often hear people say..."I'm a dramatic voice...I'm a heavier voice...etc..."and often we really truly don't have any kind of model to go after...and from my experience we hear a larger voice that is pushed out to project in so many ways. Of course yes it may be a bigger voice and we can hear this...BUT...holy cow hearing these singers was eye opening to the world of larger voices. This to me was what it was...it sounded like they were amplified 100 times with microphones---in EVERY register of their voice. The voice just came right in your face and all around you. In comparison to the really good lyric singers I have heard at the met it's about the same-the only difference is natural "heft" in the sound is less than the dramatic...but still the voice cuts-just in a different way. I was amazed at the EASE that all of the singers sound with...the bass was just GOD! Granted he was probably in his 50's or 60's but the voice just brought tears to my eyes. The Norma was quite brilliant and her technique was flawless! This role is so demanding and she definitely showed no signs of being tired-actually she got better as the evening went on. The tenor was just dynamite and at first I couldn't believe he was a tenor because in so many ways he had a darker baritonal timbre to his voice. The voice just soared. And my favorite of the evening was Dolora Zajick who sang Adalgisa. This woman amazed me in every way...she could soar extremely high and loud over the orchestra and just as much as she would do that she would also bring the sound down to such a soft and quiet point that you were FORCED to listen. Her technique and dramatic energy were flawless. What more can I say? I would sell my first born to somehow be able to have seen Callas sing Norma because I could only imagine how she would have been--but there is magic in this opera--and in this production.
Tonight rehearsals start again...first full read through and sing through. Somehow soon I have to get onto a good gym schedule. It just seems imposisble with this show. I'm not worried about the cardiovascular stuff because I do it every day with as much walking as I'm doing...I just need to be lifting again.
That's all for now...
Justin