Search - Vincenzo Bellini, Riccardo Muti, Jane Eaglen :: Bellini - Norma / Eaglen · Mei · La Scola · Remigio · Kavrakos · Gavazzi · Muti

The best of the current crop

mrzee256 | Long Beach, New York United States | 03/16/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At the outset, one has to say that if you want the mastery of Sutherland, the drama of Callas or the sheer beauty of Caballe, this recording will leave you dissatisfied. But take the time to listen to these singers: there is much here that is very rewarding. Eaglen certainly has sound, the stamina and the temprament to be a credible Norma. There are moments of real beauty in the "Casta Diva," and her intrepretation is never less than interesting. Mei is an excellent partner for Eaglen, and she can act with her voice. The tenor is new to me but I would be interested in hearing him in other roles: he holds his part of the ensemble up well. Muti is considerate of his singers, and keeps the pace up nicely. Without challenging the greats of the previous generation, this Norma is more than acceptable."

Best Buy for Norma

Marilyn L. Miller | Corvallis, OR United States | 07/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After attending a performance of "Norma" in Paris, I was looking for a recording of the opera. I found this recording on Amazon's list, at a very inexpensive price. What a surprise to discover such a wonderful live performance at the "Maggio Fiorentino" in 1994. This opera, conducted by Ricardo Muti, featured a very good cast. The sound was clear and crisp, despite it being a monophonic recording. The balance between the singers and orchestra was perfect. There is a synopsis included, but no libretto. This is a super best buy and a wonderful addition to our CD collection. I recommend it highly, especially to opera lovers on a limited budget."

Best Buy!!

Anastasia Beaverhausen | London, UK | 01/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Norma" was considered in the past by many sopranos to be the holy of holies of the soprano repertoire. This role requires a dramatic soprano with a demonic flexibility and expression in all the ranges of her voice, coupled with an uncomprimising demand for endless stamina. With the dearth of (dramatic) coloraturas Norma had to wait until a soprano of the calibre of Maria Callas, and now Jane Eaglen, came along who could comply with all the demands of this role. Nonetheless, in this recording Jane Eaglen rescues Norma from the coloraturas like June Anderson, spintos like Montserrat Caballe, lyrics like Carol Vaness and mezzos like Shirley Verrett when this role became a free-for-all in the 70s and 80s. Eaglen with her gigantic voice sounds decidedly at times as if she were singing Wagner - but this happens seldomly. Expect this huge elephant of a voice to deliver at times very crisp and exciting vocalising with fulminating high notes (see "O non tremare" and the "Ei tornera") and some very interesting decorations in repeats (see "Mira, o Norma" and the "Ah bello a me ritorna"). She makes it perfectly clear from her first entrance in the Casta Diva scena that flexibility has nothing to do with the size of a voice, but rather the technical skill, or lack thereof, of the performer. However, for a completely (emotionally and technically) intricate, detailed and heart-breaking account one longs for Callas.Eva Mei, a lyric soprano, is Adalgisa in this recording. She is not the perfect foil to Eaglen's decidedly more ''agitated'' Norma. Mei is tranquil and unwilling to allow her emotions to run their course and unfortunately prefers to remain detached most of the time. Mei's voice is very small (and sharp at times) compared to Eaglen's and their two duets sometimes sounds like a battle between David and Goliath - and here Goliath wins! But Mei does sing with a great deal of precision!The tenor in this recording is average, apart from the very obvious crack on the high C in his only aria, which to his credit he nonetheless sings with some passion. But here one wishes for a voice with the tumpeting vigour and clarity of a Corelli, a del Monaco, or even a Domingo at the very least. Oroveso is sung with a steady wobbly bass, which does not improve as the night goes on. But he is very reliable and very seldom is out of time or tune. All involved in this recording perform with security and much finesse, and another bonus is the fact that Muti restores a lot of previously cut music. This is a feat and they do not sound to have been worn down by the extra burden of all the repeats - thereby making another case for restoring the horrendous cuts imposed on most of these early operas.The sound of this recording is very good, and the conducting very exciting. One cannot but recommend this recording very highly, especially considering that it is a "live" recording makes it even more of a miracle!"