Norma discography

This is a list of recordings of Norma, a two-act opera by Vincenzo Bellini with an Italian-language libretto by Felice Romani. It was first performed on 26 December 1831, at La Scala in Milan.

YearCast:(Norma,Pollione,Adalgisa,Oroveso)Conductor,Opera House and Orchestra(Recording/production details)Label 1937 Gina Cigna,Giovanni Martinelli,Bruna Castagna,Ezio Pinza Ettore Panizza,Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus(Live broadcast, 20 February 1937, Metropolitan Opera House) CD: Metropolitan OperaNorma, Met Opera broadcast of 20 February 1937: ; Met Opera Database, CID:120790; mentioned as "the legendary 1937 MET broadcast" by Joseph Newsome in "Cecilia Bartoli as Norma", Opera Today, 30 May 2013. 1937 Gina Cigna,Giovanni Breviario,Ebe Stignani,Tancredi Pasero Vittorio Gui,Orchestra and Chorus of the EIAR Torino CD: Premiere Opera Cat: CDNO 322-2 1944 Zinka Milanov,Frederick Jagel,Jennie Tourel,Norman Cordon Cesare Sodero,Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra (Live broadcast, Metropolitan Opera House, 30 December 1944)Norma, Metropolitan Opera House, 30 December 1944, Met Opera Database. CD: Myto Cat: 2 MCD 954.137 1952 Maria Callas,Mirto Picchi,Ebe Stignani,Giacomo Vaghi,Clotilde: Joan Sutherland Vittorio Gui,Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra(Recorded live, 8 November 1952)Ardoin 1977, pp. 56–58: "Callas was in top vocal form, apart from the opening scene [with the aria 'Casta Diva']". CD: EMI ClassicsCat: 562 668-2 1954 Maria Callas,Mario Filippeschi,Ebe StignaniNicola Rossi-Lemeni Tullio Serafin,Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala,(Studio recording, 23 April – 3 May 1954)Ardoin 1977, pp. 78–79: Callas sings Norma as "more the warrior than the woman".LP: ColumbiaCat: 33CX 1179-81CD: EMI ClassicsCat: 586 8342 1955 Maria Callas,Mario del Monaco,Ebe Stignani,Giuseppe Modesti Tullio Serafin,Orchestra and Chorus of the RAI Rome(Concert performance, Rome RAI, 29 June 1955)Ardoin 1977, p. 99: "closer to the London performance of 1952, and in several instances betters it. Norma the warrior is less dominant." Some stridency in top notes until the third [sic] act. CD: Myto Cat: 00140 1955 Maria Callas,Mario del Monaco,Giulietta Simionato,Nicola Zaccaria Antonino Votto,Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala(Recorded live, 7 December 1955)Ardoin 1977, p. 106: Callas "in stupendous voice".CD: MytoCat: MCD 00153 1960 Maria Callas,Franco Corelli,Christa Ludwig,Nicola Zaccaria Tullio Serafin,Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala(Studio recording, 5–12 September 1960)Norma, Teatro alla Scala studio recording, 5–12 September 1960: CD (); Ardoin 1977, pp. 157–158: "This Norma is more giving [than in the 1954 EMI recording], more many-sided, more complex, and drawn in finer lines. 'Casta Diva', for example, is quieter, more mesmerizing (with phrase endings exquisitely tapered into silence)".CD: EMI ClassicsCat: CMS 5 66428-2 1964 Joan Sutherland,John Alexander,Marilyn Horne,Richard Cross Richard Bonynge,London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus,(Studio recording) LP: RCA VictorCat: LSC-6166CD: DeccaCat: 475 7902;000717202 (USA) 1964 Leyla Gencer,Bruno Prevedi,Adriana Lazzarini,William Wildermann Bruno Bartoletti,Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Colón CD: live-rare-opera Cat: Not given 1967 Elena Souliotis,Mario del Monaco,Fiorenza Cossotto,Carlo Cava Silvio Varviso,Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia CD: LondonCat: POCL 3824-5 1972 Montserrat Caballé,Plácido Domingo,Fiorenza Cossotto,Ruggero Raimondi Carlo Felice Cillario,London Philharmonic Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus LP: RCA Red SealCat: LSC-6202CD: RCA Red SealCat: 88875073482 1973 Montserrat Caballé,Carlo Cossutta,Fiorenza Cossotto,Giorgio Tozzi Carlo Felice Cillario,Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus(Recorded live, 17 February 1973) Streaming audio:Met Opera on DemandNorma Met Opera, 17 February 1973, Met Opera on Demand; CID: 232540, Met Opera Database. Also available for streaming via Apple Music and for download in the iTunes Store. 1973 Beverly Sills,Enrico Di Giuseppe,Shirley Verrett,Paul Plishka James Levine,New Philharmonia Orchestra, John Alldis Choir LP: ABCCat: ATS-20017CD: DGGCat: 477 8186 1974 Montserrat Caballé,Jon Vickers,Josephine VeaseyAgostino Ferrin Giuseppe Patanè,Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Regio di Torino,(Recorded live, 27 July, Théâtre antique d'Orange, Orange Festival)CD: Opera d'OroCat: OPD 1140;DVD: VAI.Cat: 4229 1979 Renata Scotto,Giuseppe Giacomini,Tatiana Troyanos,Paul Plishka James Levine,National Philharmonic Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera ChorusCD: SonyCat: 88697446182 1981 Joan Sutherland,Francisco Ortiz,Tatiana Troyanos,Justino Diaz Richard Bonynge,Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and Chorus DVD: VAICat: DVDVAI 4202 1984 Joan Sutherland,Luciano Pavarotti,Montserrat Caballé,Samuel Ramey Richard Bonynge,Orchestra and Chorus of the Welsh National Opera CD: LondonCat: POCL 2891-31986 Maria Bieșu,Gegam Grigoryan,Ludmila NamGeorgi Seleznev Mark Ermler,Orchestra and Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre CD: MelodiyaCat: MCD 160 1994 Jane Eaglen,Vincenzo La Scola,Eva Mei,Dmitri Kavrakos Riccardo Muti,Orchestra and chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino(Teatro Alighieri, Ravenna, VII 1994) CD: EMICat: B008L41Z0Q 2001 June Anderson,Shin Young Hoon,Daniela Barcellona,Ildar Abdrazakov Fabio Biondi,Europa Galante, Verdi Festival Chorus(Recorded live, March 2001, Teatro Regio, Parma) DVD: TDKCat: DV ONOR 2005 ,Carlo Ventre,Nidia Palacios,Riccardo Zanellato Giuliano Carella,Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Massimo Bellini (Catania)(Recorded live, June) DVD: DynamicCat: 33493John Steane, "Not ringing my bel canto", Gramophone (October 2006), p. 111. See also . 2007 Dimitra Theodossiou,Carlo Ventre,Daniela Barcellona,Simon Orfila Paolo Arrivabeni,Fondazione Orchestra Regionale delle Marche,Coro Lirico Marchigiano "Vincenzo Bellini"(Recorded live, August 2007, Sferisterio Opera Festival, Macerata) DVD: Dynamic.Cat: 335612013 Cecilia Bartoli,John Osborn,Sumi JoMichele Pertusi Giovanni Antonini,Orchestra La Scintilla, Zurich(playing on period instruments) CD: DeccaCat: 0289 478 3517 2Joseph Newsome, "Cecilia Bartoli as Norma", in Opera Today, 30 May 2013.2015Sondra Radvanovsky,Gregory Kunde,Ekaterina Gubanova,Raymond AcetoRenato Palumbo,Gran Teatre del Liceu orchestra and chorus(Kevin Newbury, stage director; recorded live, February 2015)Blu-ray/DVD:C majorNorma, Liceu, 2015: Blu-ray (); DVD ().Cat:7372082016 Sonya Yoncheva,Joseph Calleja,Sonia Ganassi,Brindley SherrattAntonio Pappano,The Royal Opera orchestra and chorus(Àlex Ollé, stage director; recorded live, 26 September 2016)HD video:Royal Opera StreamNorma (2016)", Royal Ballet & Opera Stream. Also available via medici.tv.Blu-ray/DVD: Opus ArteNorma, Royal Opera, 2016: Blu-ray (); DVD ().Cat:OA1247D2017Sondra Radvanovsky,Joseph Calleja,Joyce DiDonato,Matthew RoseCarlo Rizzi,Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus(David McVicar, production; recorded live, 7 October 2017) HD video:Met Opera on DemandNorma, Met Opera, 7 October 2017, Met Opera on Demand; CID: 356753, Met Opera Database.Blu-ray/DVD: EratoNorma, Met Opera, 2017: Blu-ray (); DVD ().2018Mariella Devia,Stefan Pop,Annalisa Stroppa,Riccardo FassiAndrea Battistoni,Teatro Carlo Felice orchestra and chorus(Teatrialchemici, Luigi di Gangi and Ugo Giacomazzi, stage direction)DVD: BongiovanniCat: AB 200412025Asmik Grigorian,Freddie De Tommaso,Aigul Akhmetshina,Tareq NazmiFrancesco Lanzillotta,Theater an der Wien, Wiener Symphoniker, Vienna(Stage director: Vasily Barkhatov; recorded live, 23 February)Streaming video: ArteNorma Vienna 2025, Opera on Video, retrieved 19 July 2025; Carnegie Hall+.

Note: "Cat:" is short for catalogue number by the label company.

References

Sources Recordings of Norma on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk Ardoin, John (1977). The Callas Legacy. New York: Charels Scribner's Sons. .