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Home , Beatrice di Tenda, Calgary Opera, Carlo Pepoli, Domenico Barbaia, Fach, Felice Romani

Norma by STUDY GUIDE

1 Study Guide

Table of Contents Welcome 3 Introduction to 4-5 A Night at the Opera: Your guide to a night to remember 6 Opera Terms and Voice Categories 7 About Our Director: Nicolas Muni 8 About the Composer: Vincenzo Bellini 9 About the Conductor: Alice Farnham 10 About the Librettist: 11 Historical Context of Norma: Who were the ? 11 Synopsis 12 Cast of Characters 13 The Opera: Everyone Else! 13 Opera 14 What to Listen For 14 For Teachers and Parents 15 References 16

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WELCOME!

“Opera is about life and everything that entails—love, hate and passion.” - Lesley Garrett

Hello dear teachers, parents and students,

My name is Patricia Kesler and I run the Education and Community Outreach programs at Opera. I am so happy to welcome you all back for our 2019-2020 Season here at the Opera. I have been so privileged in the past year to get to know and work with many of you, and hope that our relationships expand and multiply during my time.

We opened the year with a hugely successful production of Puccini’s La Bohème and are moving along quickly to our second and third productions of the season: Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma and ’ , respec- tively. I absolutely embrace the drama, heartache and passion that will play itself out across the stage of the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium this year and hope you will all be there to join me.

Opera is increasingly relevant in today’s society. It is an art form for the times as it opens us to different stories, per- spectives, cultures and traditions—in other words, to compassion and empathy. I can’t think of a better time to intro- duce more of these elements into the world.

I hope we can all take this journey to the heart together because, as Ned Canty, General Director of Opera Memphis said,

”...we are an art form that brings people together to hear voices that connect us and remind us that the things that make us the same are far, far greater than the things that make us different…”

See you at the opera,

Patricia Kesler Education and Community Outreach Calgary Opera

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INTRODUCTION TO OPERA

The word opera comes from the Italian “opera in musica,” this day we can hear the in performance and which means “works or plays in music.” Simply put, opera is recordings: https://youtu.be/sKD1qUVJJBU a play in which the characters sing their lines rather than speak them, with music as its driving force. It is a mixture of many different types of art, combining music, drama, dance elaborate costumes and scenery.

Traditional view holds that the first completely sung musical drama (or opera) developed as a result of discussions held in in the 1570s by a group of intellectuals, poets, artist, scientists and humanists such as composers Giulio Caccini, Peri and (father of astronomer and scientist Galilei, particularly known for his improvements to the telescope). The Florentine Camerata, as they called themselves, explored trends in the arts, focusing on music and drama. One particular point of focus was their joint belief that music, in particular vocal works, had become over-embellished and that returning to a more Opera has flourished throughout the world as a vehicle pure form would be a powerful way to tell stories and for the expression of the full range of human emotions. express emotions. Gathering inspiration from Classical claim the art form as their own, retaining dominance , its dramas and the idea of the Greek chorus, which in the field through the death of in 1924. acts as a commentator reporting on the actions, they Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Leoncavallo developed evolved the idea of “recitativo” — a single vocal line, sung in the art form through clearly a free, declamatory style, with simple instrumental support. defined periods that produced , , bel canto and . Mozart (1756-1791) wrote in Italian as well as German and championed the (sing play), which combined the spoken word with music ( 1791, Abduction At the time it was argued that recitativo was far superior to from the Seraglio 1782), a form spoken verse, since the musical inflections intensified the also used by Beethoven in his implied emotions. Thus, it is no wonder that many of opera . Bizet (), Offenbach (Les Contes the first operas were based on Greek tragedies with D’Hoffmann), Gounod () and Meyerbeer (Les mythological themes. Huguenots) led the adaptation by the French which ranged The first opera composed by in 1597, Dafne, from the opera comique to full-scale tragedie about the nymph who fled from and was turned into lyrique. German composers von Weber (Der Fresichutz), a laurel tree as a way to save her virtue, was a through- Richard Strauss (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Wagner (Der Ring composed musical work comprised of sections, to des Nibelungen) developed diverse forms such as singspiel reveal the plot of the drama, and , which provided the to through-composed spectacles unified through the uses of soloist an opportunity to develop the emotions of the . The English , Spanish and character. Sadly most of the music for the opera has been Viennese helped to establish opera as a form of lost. However, Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, composed in which continues to enjoy great popularity 1607 based on the Orpheus myth, was very successful. To throughout the world.

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With the beginning of the 20th century, composers in North America diverged from European traditions in order to focus on their own roots while exploring and developing the vast body of the country’s folk music and legends. Composers such as George Gershwin with Porgy and Bess, with , Carlisle Floyd with Suzanna, with Nixon in China and with The Medium have all crafted operas that have been presented throughout the world to great success. In Canada, composer John Estacio and librettist John Murrell were commissioned by Calgary Opera to produce Filumena, based on a true Canadian John Adams’ Nixon in China, story of the last woman to be hanged in Alberta — which https://youtu.be/vd-ODo8v06A premiered in 2003 in Calgary to great success, and is one of the most produced Canadian grand operas in the world.

George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at Teatro

https://youtu.be/VfziZxrXNy0

Laura Whalen as the title character in Calgary Opera’s Filumena (2003) Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium, Pensacola Opera https://youtu.be/_4Riw2wLsww https://youtu.be/uReeJn3v0EM

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A NIGHT AT THE OPERA: Your Guide to a Night to Remember There are many preconceived notions propagated by intermission to have a look! popular media about opera, so a first visit to an Food and drink are not allowed inside the hall and, since operatic performance may bring up a number of questions. sound carries due to the acoustics of the hall, please open Here are some tips on how to make your night at the opera any candies you might have prior to the start of the show. most enjoyable. Also remember that many hours have gone into bringing By far, the most popular question and concern is: this particular production to you, so please be considerate of the performers and your fellow audience members and What do I wear to the opera? turn off and put away your cell phones.

In the past, opera audiences have been known to wear Please remember that photography is not permitted once lavish gowns as well as top hats and bow ties, giving the the performance starts. The design and direction of the rest of the public a feeling that opera isn’t for everyone, show is protected under intellectual property laws and only which is definitely not the case! In today’s opera lovers’ the official Calgary Opera photographers can take pictures. world audiences come dressed in whatever they feel most Another big concern that the public has about opera is the comfortable! Your pajamas might attract stares, but to fact that it is in a different language. This, of course, is true each his own! for most operas. However, like any foreign film that is https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2012/ accessible to the public, opera always, no matter what oct/18/what-should-you-wear-at-theatre language it’s sung in, has easy to read supertitles which are Where are the performances held? projected above the stage.

All Calgary Opera’s mainstage productions are held at the Please, do feel free to show your appreciation to the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. If you are performers by laughing at the humorous parts and driving, it is recommended that you arrive applauding after a well-performed . If you were approximately 45 minutes prior to the start of the show to particularly impressed by a performer’s vocal acrobatics, avoid traffic. Another great reason to ensure that you feel free to express your enthusiasm vocally as well as by arrive on time is that if you are late, you may have to wait applause; if you hear fellow audience members shout in the lobby for the late arrival entries and watch the “bravo” for a man, “brava” for a woman or “bravi” for a opera from the monitors in the lobby for a period of time group of performers, chime in if the spirit moves you! It’s rather than from your seat. all part of your unique opera experience! And remember, for a performer, audience response is one of the most Your Experience at the Opera rewarding parts of their work… positive audience response, Starting at 6:30 pm in the first floor lobby on performance that is! night, Calgary Opera presents our Opera Talks where some Some may argue that opera is an acquired taste. However, of Calgary’s most learned musicians and historians give an to acquire the taste we must first expose ourselves to it, interesting and entertaining talk about the opera that is and there is no better way than doing it live! about to be performed on stage. Ice cream, coffee, tea and other treats are available in the lobby as well as different Below are some helpful Calgary Opera links that may exhibits which will make your early arrival much more answer any additional questions you may have: enjoyable. https://www.calgaryopera.com/discover/plan-your-visit You will be advised by an announcement when the doors to the main hall are open. Don’t forget to get your program from an usher prior to taking your seats, as it will give you additional information on the opera and the artists. You will notice a number of individuals gathered at the very front of the auditorium: these are the patrons that like to look into the orchestra pit and all its splendors. Don’t be shy, and if you have time, do wander down yourself during

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OPERA TERMS AND VOICE CATEGORIES

The word “opera” is Italian, derived from the plural of the Latin opus, meaning “work”. Opera, in Italian, is called opera lirica, or lyric work. “Lyric” is defined as “appropriate song,” so opera lirica is a work of theatre that is set to song. Opera combines the best of all worlds with strong , full orchestra, riveting drama, exceptional dance, spectacular sets, lavish costumes, dramatic lighting and special effects. All of these characteristics combine to make opera one of the most powerful art forms. Opera is fun, really, and it is just as entertaining now as it was when it was first created. If you like a good story, you’ll like opera. Here are a few terms to help you figure it all out. Opera Terms : Italian for "little book": the words of an opera written by a librettist. Aria: Italian for an air or song; the big number where the singer expresses feelings and shows off the voice. Recitative: Speech-singing where the singer chants the words in rhythm of free speech, used to further the plot or set up an aria. Forerunner of rap. : An aria built for two. Singers express feelings to each other or the audience. Three singers at once are a trio, and four, a quartet. Ensemble: Principal singers singing mostly together, expressing different opinions and emotions. Example: Quintette in Cenerentola (Cinderella).

Fach or Voice Category

German for "compartment," a voice category or range of notes and voice quality in individual singers. : The highest female voice. The is the tweety bird of opera, singing the highest range of notes with great flexi- bilty. Example: the Queen of the Night’s aria in Magic Flute. Soprano: The voice has a high range of notes. Voice quality can be dramatic or lyric. Example: Clorinda in (Cinderella). Mezzo: Mezzo- have the middle range of the female voice. Example: the role of Carmen in Carmen. : The highest range in the male voice. Example: Don Jose in Carmen. : The middle range of the male voice. Example: the Toreador in Carmen. : The lowest of the male voices. Example: Frère Laurent, Capulet, Duke of Verona in Roméo et Juliette. Chorus : A group of community-based singers who provide support to the principal singers, set the scene and create the mood for an opera. The chorus includes all voice categories.

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ABOUT OUR DIRECTOR: Nicholas Muni

A native of New Jersey, Mr. Muni studied vocal performance, and theatre work with Herbert Blau at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He subsequently studied voice in Washington, D.C. with the late Todd Dun- can. He relocated to New York City and began his work as a Stage Director where, in 1982, he received a fellowship from the National Institute of Mu- sic Theater to study with renowned singer and Alberto Masiello. In 1983 he was appointed Principal Stage Director and Artistic Advisor to the Kentucky Opera, then in 1988-90, he served as Director of Drama with the Metropolitan Opera Young Artist Development Program. Coinciding with his time at the Met, from 1988-93 he served as Artistic Director of . The 1993-94 season saw him make his European debut at Stadttheather Gieẞen with a production of La Fille du Regiment, which, due to its success, led to many other engagements including at the Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, Austria, at Opera Ireland, at Anhalitsches Theater Dessau, at the Prague National Theatre and at Stadttheater Bern in Switzerland. As a free- lance stage director he has directed over two hundred and fifty productions all over the world. In 1996 he was appointed Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera Association. During his time there he created a new and strong relationship with the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, leading to the highly succesful and prolific Opera Fusion:New Works endowment program. This program fosters the development of new American operas. In 2006 he was appointed Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at the College-Conservatory of Music, U of Cincinatti, where he was promoted to full Professor in 2010 and subsequently taught Advanced Acting Classes for singers, a course in Professional Development and a seminar in Stage Directing in addition to his many mentorships. From 2013- 2016, Nicholas added a professorship at the Bard College in New York to his resume as Professor of Stagecraft and Acting and in 2015 he was appointed Professor of Music and Artistic Director of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at North Carolina School of the Arts, a position he holds to this day. In 2016 Mr. Muni took on a new role with a new company in Hong Kong. The company, More Than Musical, Ltd. has as its mission to present classical works in reduced versions. His work there has included the reduction of to a 90-minute performance and The Kiss of , a 75-minute adaptation of Puccini’s classic Tosca. Through that work he began a project with the Opera Hong Kong Young Artists program for which he curated an amalgamation of eight operas into a one-scenes program called Crazy In Love. The show toured four cities in China leading to a Master Class series presented at music conservatories in Shanghai, Wuhan, Seoul and Tokyo. Norma will be Mr. Muni’s debut with Calgary Opera.

Pacific Opera Victoria: Set Design by Ken MacDonald

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ABOUT THE COMPOSER: Vincenzo Bellini

Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was born on bula and Norma. was one of his only oper- November 3rd, 1801 in , , to a family im- as that broke from the opera seria style as it was an opera mersed in music. His father and grandfather were both semiseria, serious but with a happy ending. career musicians and so his musical training began at a Norma, which premiered at La Scala in on December young age at home. In 1819 he continued his studies un- 26, 1831, received a lukewarm reception at its opening. It der Nicola Zingarelli at the Conservatory, where he recovered quickly and went on to dominate Europe over became thoroughly familiar with the works of Haydn, Mo- the following month. Bellini, along with many critics, be- zart and Pergolesi. At a performance in Naples of Rossini’s lieved it to be his finest piece ever. The soprano’s aria , Bellini, at the age of 23, was transformed and “Casta ” is to date a standard piece of operatic reper- decidedly devoted himself to the toire for serious soprano singers. stage. The opera has maintained its appeal All of his operas were in the opera and is performed to this day all over seria style, serious operas with tragic the world. endings, and his first, Adelson e Sal- Bellini’s following opera, Beatrice de vini (1825) was written while he was a Tenda, which premiered at teacher at the Conservatory. It was in , on March 16, 1833 never performed outside of its walls. was a failure which led to the falling His second opera, Bianca e Fernando out of Bellini and his steadfast li- (1826, later revised in 1828) was com- brettist Felice Romani. Bellini was a missioned by an important demanding composer and demand- of the conservatory and went on to ed numerous re-writes from his li- catch the attention of the impresario brettists before being satisfied. who commis- Bellini moved to London briefly in sioned from him an opera for La Scala 1833 to direct his own operas, then in Milan. Bellini created , on to . There, composer Gi- which premiered there on October oachino Rossini’s influence procured 27, 1827. Il pirata also represented for him a commission to write an the first in a string of successful oper- opera for the Theatre-Italien. For as that Bellini composed with Felice this he wrote in 1835, also Romani as his librettist. It brought him international recog- to be his final opera, with libretto by exiled Italian poet nition as an opera composer. Count . Although Pepoli was not a gifted li- Bellini and Felice went on to collaborate on brettist, the opera is still considered by some as Bellini’s and , both in 1829. Zaira was hurriedly completed in most ambitious and beautiful work. Photograph 1865 order to be ready for the grand opening of the Teatro Du- At the height of his operatic powers at the age of 33, Belli- cale at Parma; perhaps as a result, it was a huge failure ni died of a chronic intestinal ailment in September 23, and was never produced again. However, the duo made a 1835 in the small French village of Puteaux, near Paris. strong comeback with I Capuleti I Montecchi in 1830 which Bellini will always be remembered for his gift of creating was based on Shakespeare’s . vocal melody and his masterful handling of the orchestral 1831 was likely the composer’s most successful year as his pieces in his operas. two most successful operas were produced—La sonnam- 9 Norma Study Guide

ABOUT THE CONDUCTOR: Alice Farnham

the National Hall Female Conductor Programme in Ire- land. She is a guest lecturer for other similar programmes, in- cluding Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors, Dirigent Kultur i Väst, and The Sorrell Women's Conducting Pro- gramme at the Royal Academy of Music.

As an Assistant Conductor, she has worked with many great con- ductors such as Semyon Bychkov, Maurizio Benini, Boris Grusin and Barry Wordsworth at the Royal Covent Gar- den, and Lothar Koenigs and Michael Hofstetter at Welsh Na- tional Opera.

Alice has conducted many large-scale community productions including touring Hans Krasa’s Brundibar for Mahogany Opera, David Bedford’s Titanic at the Sands Carlisle, Richard Barnard’s A Perfect World for , and Marin Reed’s Round-about-Basingstoke at the Anvil Basingstoke.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Farnham was Chorus Master and Assis- Photograph by Maryam Barari tant Conductor at Gothenburg Opera, Sweden. From 2005-2016 Alice Farnham is a British conductor who trained at the St. Pe- she worked on many productions at House as a tersburg Conservatoire. She enjoys an international career and in regular member of the Guest Music Staff. 2018 she made the BBC Woman’s Hour Power List. She was featured on the podcast “Inspiring Women in Classical An in-demand opera conductor, she has conducted a wide varie- Music” on The Essay, BBC Radio 3. Listen to it here: ty of operas around the world. She was Music Director of Welsh https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b072j0qq National Youth Opera for the critically acclaimed and award- winning productions of Maxwell-Davies’ Kommilitoen! And This is her first time conducting for Calgary Opera. Britten’s Paul Bunyan. She is particularly moved by innovative and genre-blending productions and in 2016 she conducted the opera/dance hybrid Carmen Moves and ’ with Cirkus Cikor at Folkoperan Stockholm.

She has guest conducted at opera houses across Europe and Singapore, with a special interest for her work in Sweden, where she recently conducted the Malmo Opera Orchestra, Dalasin- fonetta, Gavle Symphony Orchestra and the Nordiska Kam- marokester.

She has also made a name for herself guest conducting at many major companies including the Royal Ballet Covent Gar- den, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Danish Royal Ballet, English Na- tional Ballet, Slovenia National Theatre and Macedonia National Ballet. In 2008 she conducted the premiere of Graham Fitkin’s Reel which won the British Composer “Best Stage Work”.

Passionate about training the next generation, Alice is Co- Founder and Artistic Director of Women Conductors with the Royal Philharmonic Society – a ground-breaking program to en- courage women into conducting. She is also Artistic Director of Photograph by Maryam Barari

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ABOUT THE LIBRETTIST: Felice Romani

Italian librettist Felice Romani was a master wordsmith and worked well with the music provid- ed to him, thus he was always in high demand. Many of his libretti were set by more than one composer because of the popularity of his work and the masterful story crafting he was known for. Although born in , Italy in 1788, he travelled and taught around Europe in , , Greece and before settling in Milan around 1812. He studied law in and literature in Genoa. His first work as a librettist was in 1813 for the composer Johann for his piece in Corinto. He went on to work with many more composers but his libretti for Don- izetti and Bellini and the success of these operas in the early 1830s catapulted him into librettist stardom. Romani rarely worked closely with composers, however his working relationship with Vincenzo Bellini was a particularly tight one. They regularly worked out plot and structure together and

Bellini almost entirely refused to create with other librettists. Their pieces together, Il Pirata Photo courtesy Public Domain, https:// (1827), Bianca e Fernando (1828), La straniera (1829), Zaira (1829), I Capuleti I Montecchi (1830), commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php? Norma (1831), La sonnambula (1831) and (1833), exist as shining examples of the golden age of bel canto opera. His other libretti of note are (1814) by Rossini and L’elisir d’amore (1834) by Donizetti. In 1834 Romani took a post at the Savoy court in Turin which almost completely halted his writing profession until he departed in 1849. Otherwise, he wrote prolifically throughout his career, authoring 90 over the course of his life. He died in 1865 in , Italy. HISTORICAL CONTEXT of Norma—Who were the Druids?

The opera Norma is based in Gaul in 100-50 B.C in the time of the Roman occupation. This was also the time of Julius Caesar’s rule. Caesar was a populist Roman dictator, politician, and military general. Since the Druids didn’t use a written language, much of what is known about them today comes from the texts of Ceasar, who was also a historian, a poet and a writer. The term is Celtic for “Knowing (or Finding) the Oak Tree”. The Druids were members of the educated class among the an- cient Celts. Texts indicate that they frequented oak forests and acted as priests, teachers, and judges. The earliest known records of the Druids come from the 3rd century BCE and their lands existed in areas of what is now Britain, Ireland and France. According to Caesar there were two groups of men in Gaul that were held in honour, the Druids and the noblemen. Caesar related that the Druids took charge of public and private sacrifices. Once a year the Druids assembled at a sacred place in the territory of the Carnutes, which was believed to be the centre of all Gaul, and all legal disputes were there submitted to the judgment of the Druids. Although Caesar recorded that the Druids abstained from warfare, they were known for their bloody rituals and rites. According to Pliny the Elder, a Roman philosopher, they were said to cover their altars with the blood of captives. The Druids offered human sacrifices for those who were gravely sick or in danger of death in battle. Large wicker human-shaped frames were filled with living men and then burned. Druids preferred to sacrifice criminals but would choose innocent victims from amongst their fellow Gauls if necessary. The Druids were also exempt from tax-paying. As a result of this well-known benefit and others, many joined the order voluntarily or were sent by their families. They studied natural healing, philosophy, astronomy, and the lore of the gods, with many years spent in training. The Druids’ main tenet was that the soul was immortal and passed from one body into another after death. Historically Druidic rites were held in clearings in the forest but under Roman influence sacred buildings were built for these pur- poses. Romans were threatened by the power Druids held over Celtic communities that they had conquered. The Druids were suppressed in Gaul beginning with the reign of Augustus and continuing with Tiberius (reigned 14–37 AD) and later in Britain. In Ireland they lost their priestly functions after the coming of Christianity. 11 Norma Study Guide

NORMA OPERA SYNOPSIS

Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after the play Norma, ou L'infanticide (Norma, or The Infanticide) by . It was first produced at La Scala in Milan on Decem- ber 26th, 1831. Act I Deep in the forest the Druids gather around an altar and pray to their god for strength against the Roman armies. The high priest, Oroveso, leads them in their prayer. After they have said their prayers, they leave the forest. Moments lat- er, Pollione, the Roman proconsul, arrives with his centurion, Flavious, telling him that he no longer loves Oroveso's daughter, Norma (even though she broke her vow of chastity and gave birth to two children). Pollione has fallen in love with one of the virgin temple priestesses, Adalgisa. Norma returns and prays for peace, hoping to prolong the life of her secret Roman lover, Pollione, after having visions of the Romans' defeat. When Norma leaves, Adalgisa, who has been praying below the altar, moves to the top to say her prayers. She prays for strength to resist Pollione's advances, but when he arrives, she gives in to his request and agrees to travel to Rome with him the next day. In Norma's bed chamber, she confides to her servant that she fears Pollione loves another woman but she has no idea who this woman could be. Adalgisa arrives with a heavy heart, seeking guidance. Adalgisa tells Norma that she has been unfaithful to their gods because she has given her love to a Roman man. Norma, recalling her own sin, is about to forgive Adalgisa until Pollione arrives seeking Adalgisa. Norma becomes angry and Adalgisa realizes what has happened. She refuses to go with Pollione because of her loyalty to Norma. INTERMISSION Act II Pacing beside the beds of her small children late that evening, Norma is overcome with the urge to murder them so Pollione can never have them. However, Norma's love for them is too strong, and so she summons Adalgisa to take them to Pollione. She will give up his love so that Adalgisa can marry him and raise Norma's children as her own. Adal- gisa refuses, and instead, tells Norma that she will speak with Pollione on Norma's behalf and convince him to return to her. Back in the forest, Oroveso announces to the Druids that Pollione has been replaced by a new leader and that they should refrain from revolting for now. When Adalgisa finally shows up, she brings bad news; her attempt to persuade Pollione to return to Norma was unsuccessful. Norma then calls for war against the Romans. Oroveso demands a life to be sacrificed so that their gods will grant them victory. Guards interrupt Oroveso when they capture Pollione desecrating their temple. Orove- so declares Pollione as the sacrifice, but Norma stalls. Pulling him aside, she tells him that he can have his freedom if he gives up his love for Adalgisa and re- turns to her instead. Pollione rejects her offer. Out of despair, she confesses her sins in front of the Druids and offers herself as the sacrifice. Pollione cannot be- lieve this and falls in love with her again. He rushes to the altar and takes his place by her side. Norma at Dallas Opera 2017

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CAST OF CHARACTERSCAST OF CHARACTERS

Character Singer Description Website—Find out more Norma Aviva Fortunata Druid Priestess Soprano https://deanartists.com/artist/aviva- fortunata/ Pollione Andrew Haji Roman General Tenor https://www.andrewhaji.com/ Adalgisa Annie Rosen Young Priestess Mezzo-Soprano http://www.annierosenmezzo.com/

Oroveso Alain Coulombe Norma’s father, the High Bass https://www.alaincoulombe.com/ Priest of the Druids Clotilde Eden Tremayne (CO Norma’s maid Soprano http://edentremayne.com/ Emerging Artist) Flavio Scott Rumble (CO Roman soldier Tenor https://www.scottrumbletenor.com/ Emerging Artist) THE OPERA—Everyone else!

Every opera you will ever see is the work of hundreds of Stage Director: Nicholas Muni people. First of all, the music! It is live and played at the Chorusmaster: Sandra Atkinson Jubilee Auditorium by the amazing men and women of the Set Designer: John Conklin Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Costume Designer: John Conklin Then there are the other people on stage who are not Lighting Designer: Harry Frehner mentioned in the list of Principal Roles above. These are Repetiteur/Resident Conductor: Kimberley Ann Bartczak singers that support the storyline, the Chorus, and people Technical Staff who never sing but support the story by acting in a certain Stage Manager: Amy Lippold role, these people are called supernumeraries. Assistant Stage Manager: Nicole Bergen The Artistic staff- these are the directors, conductors, Assistant Stage Manager: Shelby-Jai Flick repetiteurs, artistic directors, chorusmaster, set, lighting, Apprentice Stage Manager: Jennifer Yeung and costume designers. Not to mention the composer and Head of Wardrobe: Heather Moore librettist! Head Make Up Artist: Gail Kennedy Then the Technical staff! These are the stage managers, Head Wig and Hair Artist: Franca Vaccaro lighting, sound, and set technicians, costume stitchers and Head of Props: Laura Anderson designers, makeup and wig appliers, props makers. Director of Production: Bonni Baynton Beyond all of these people who are mostly working Technical Director: Cody Stadel backstage at the theatre, are the office staff in all of the Assistant Technical Director: Marc Lavallee opera houses across Canada and around the world—the Production Assistant: Brett Johnson people who manage the companies, sell the tickets, design the websites and brochures, organize events, Office Staff manage our donors, write our grants, and go into schools CEO and Managing Director: Heather Kitchen and teach about opera (that’s me!). There are countless Director of Finance & Administration: Mitch Lavallée people that you don’t see when you go to the opera who Board Liaison & Special Projects Manager: Nicola Dawes Accountant: Steven Weisbrod make everything you see possible, and that’s exactly how Manager, Emerging Artist Development Program: Mel Kirby it should be. Education & Community Outreach Coordinator: Patricia Kesler

Norma Chorus Director of Fund Development: Suzanne Boyd 40 Chorus (16 women, 24 men) Donor Relations Manager: Shevonne Brodeur Supernumeraries Development Officer - Grants, Foundations & Strategic 9 Men (Roman Soldiers and Captain), 4 Women (Priestesses), 2 Partnerships: Dani Spady Children (appear to be twin boys- 5 years of age) Development Officer: Karin Nybo Director of Marketing & PR: Ashley Meller Artistic Staff Marketing Manager: Noree Claerhout Artistic Director: Bramwell Tovey, O.C. Audience Service Coordinator: Rose Panzo Conductor: Alice Farnham Audience Service Coordinator: Sara German 13 Norma Study Guide

BEL CANTO Opera

In the opera world, it is said that before anything else, an aspiring Norma has to master “bel canto” technique. This school of sing- ing, which dominated in the early with , Vincenzo Bellini and as its main champions, began much earlier as opera enthusiasts of the day coalesced around the idea that a beautiful voice singing a beautiful melodic line was the ultimate goal and pleasure of opera. The style is comparable to modern sports training, with its specialized drills to develop strength, speed and endurance. The goal of bel canto is to perform leaps and bounds with the voice, up and down the musical scale in a long successive line of notes that must be maintained by a single breath. This is known as , the seamless movement from one note to the next, requiring a steady and even emission of breath, and is of utmost importance in bel canto singing. Bel canto singers must also have a very flexible voice that glides easily across the notes. The title character in Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma is a powerful and complicated woman who runs the emotional gamut throughout the course of the opera. The singer who choses this role must be able to perfectly portray anger, lust, devotion, vengefulness and tender caring while simultaneously maintaining the vocal acrobatics required. This has become even more difficult since the roles were first written as both opera houses and orchestra sizes have grown rapidly but the singer is no less responsible for filling the house with their voice. Many bel canto operas were ignored for years after their initial dominance, thought to be too dramatic in their storyline, but , a soprano who rose to fame in the late 1940s and dominated bel canto in the 1950s and early 1960s, realized their potential for not only showing off a gorgeous voice, but for mining the dramatic potential of the singers. Dame and also became proponents of the style. What at first was seen as the weak point in bel canto became the reason to see it, the incredible roller coaster of emotion, the story. Today many well known singers again are showing off their bel canto skills such as Juan Diego Florez, , , and who is making a name for herself in particular for her repeated role as Norma.

What to listen for?

As all great Bel Canto operas are, Norma is filled with memorable melodies. Likely the only aria that will be familiar, though, is ‘Casta Diva’ sung by Norma in Act I. There are many powerful , however, as the story hinges not so much on individual char- acters as the relationships and situations that link them together.

Act I:

‘Casta Diva’ aria sung by Maria Callas, who brought the Bel Canto operas back into popular repertoire in the 1940s and 50s, and a performance by a current star of Bel Canto roles, and Norma specifically, Sondra Radvanovsky singing at the Met in 2017. https://youtu.be/TYl8GRJGnBY (Maria Callas) https://youtu.be/C_Peud71Ijo (Sondra Radvanovsky)

Act II:

‘Mira, o Norma’ duet sung by Norma and Adalgisa—Aldalgisa pledges her loyalty to Norma and the two women reaffirm their friendship. https://youtu.be/ZxWKf9W7P3E (Angela Meade and Jamie Barton at the Metropolitan Opera)

‘In mia man alfin tu sei’ duet sung by Norma and Pollione— Norma confronts Pollione with his infidelity towards her. She cries out “Finally, you’re in my hands” and banishes him to death along with their two sons and Aldalgisa, he accepts but begs her to spare Adalgisa. https://youtu.be/miFMVKJ89n8 (Montserrat Caballe and at Teatro del Bolshoi)

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FOR TEACHERS AND PARENTS

Dear Teachers and parents, Norma is an opera rich in content, both entertaining and educational. In addition to the information found in this study guide, I am including the media, activities and questions below to help you bring this content to your classroom and homes according to your student’s and children’s needs. WARNING: This opera contains strong language and mature subject matter and is not recommended for very young audiences. ACTIVITIES, DISCUSSIONS AND RESEARCH: 1. A bonus video just for making it this far! This is a CG short animated film developed by the Illogic Collective of some night-time performance of woodland animals singing the chorus piece “"Squilla Il Bronzo Del Dio - Guerra, guerra" from the opera Norma. It is magnificent! Watch it here: https://youtu.be/fT-h6BDiV50 2. On page 11 there is a brief history of the Druids, who they were, when they existed and what they were like. Do more research into this ancient order and answer the following questions: A) Which plant was highly sacred to the Druids and used in many rituals? (hint: we hang it over doorways to this day around Christmas time) B) Which were the main holy days for the Druids? C) Although not much is known for sure about the Druids, is there a connection between the Druids and Stonehenge? 3. For younger students, this exercise is taken from the Savannah Music Festival 2017-18 curriculum and is available online for free at https://musicalexplorers.savannahmusicfestival.org/season4/s4-unit2/lesson-1-learning-casta-diva/

An opera is a type of theatrical art form where everything is sung and set to music. Just like plays or movies, operas can be dramatic or comedic, but all of the dialogue is sung instead of spoken. A) As a class, come up with one funny or dramatic event that has happened during the week. Ask students to try singing a line of text that represents their emotional response to the event, such as “Oh no!”, “I can’t believe it!” or even laughter. • If someone couldn’t hear the words of what you sang, how would she know if it was happy or sad? • What can we do to the sentences we sang to make them more dramatic or funnier? (i.e., sing higher, lower, louder, softer, etc.)

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REFERENCES

Alice Farnham—Conductor—Biography. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.alicefarnham.com/home [Accessed Novem- ber 27, 2019]. Batta, Andras. Opera. Composers, Works, Performers. Cologne: Konemann Verlagsgesellschaft, 2000 Blakemore, Erin. (November 15, 2019). Why do we know so little about the Druids? https:// www.nationalgeographic.com/history/reference/people/why-know-little-druids/ [Accessed January 2, 2020]. Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (last updated November 26, 2019). Vincenzo Bellini: Italian Composer. https:// britannica.com/biography/Vincenzo-Bellini [Accessed December 3, 2019]. Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (last updated June 15, 2011). Druid: Celtic Culture. https://www.britannica.com/ topic/Druid [Accessed December 31, 2019]. Felice Romani Librettist Biography. Www.ROH.ORG.UK/people/Felice-Romani [Accessed on December 28, 2019] Ganeri, Anita and Barber, Nicola. The Young Person’s Guide to the Opera. London: Pavilion Books Ltd., 2001 Grout, Donald Jay. A Short History of Opera. Columbia University Press, 1988. Jorden, James. (September 20, 2017). Hear what makes “Norma” the Everest of Opera. https:// www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/arts/music/norma-bellini-metropolitan-opera.html [Accessed on November 13, 2019]. Lundgren, Bruce. Vincenzo Bellini Artist Biography. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/vincenzo-bellini-mn0000646795/ biography [Accessed November 14, 2019]. Martin, George. The Opera Companion. London: John Murray Publishers, 1984 Nic Muni Biography. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.nicmuni.com/biography/ [Accessed November 15, 2019]. Opera Quotations. Edited by Claire Lipscomb. Watford: Exley Publications Ltd, 1998 Orrey, Leslie. A Concise History Of Opera. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1972 Oxford Reference. Overview Felice Romani (1788-1865). https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/ authority.20110803100427502 [Accessed December 28, 2019]. Scott, Bruce. (written on October 8, 2010). Bel Canto with Balance: Bellini’s ‘Norma’ . [Accessed on December 16, 2019]. Tomassini, Anthony. (written on November 28, 2008.) Bel Canto: Audiences Love It, but What is it? https:// www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/arts/music/30tomm.html [accessed on December 12, 2019] Walsh, Michael. Who’s Afraid of Opera? Simon & Schuster, 1994

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