Jane Eaglen - Bellini & Wagner

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Bellini and Wagner may seem like a musical odd couple, but the pairing makes sense since Italian bel canto formed one of the streams that fed the tumultuous torrent of Wagnerian music drama. Jane Eaglen's sumptuous dramatic soprano is a throwback to rare prima donnas of the past who excelled in the music of both composers although, like them, she possesses a voice whose size and amplitude often defeat the microphone's ability to capture it with realism. Still, there's much to admire, including the sheer novelty of so sizeable a voice negotiating Bellini's fragile lines and the sheer beauty of much of the singing. However, despite some thrilling whoops and hollers in Brünnhilde's battle cry from Die Walküre, impact is dimmed by a hint of interpretive blandness, routine orchestral accompaniments, and, especially in Bellini, a rhythmic slackness. An important, if flawed, document of one of the great voices of our age. --Dan Davis

Jane Eaglen - Bellini & Wagner, Music, Vincenzo Bellini, Richard Wagner, Mark Elder, Jane Eaglen, Classical, Classical Artists, Classical Music, Classical Vocals, German/Austrian Romantic Opera, Italian Romantic Opera, Opera

Bellini - Norma / Eaglen · Mei · La Scola · Remigio · Kavrakos · Gavazzi · Muti
Average customer rating:

Great Normas On Record: Jane Eaglen

All wrong

A passable Norma at a great price

Wonderfully done

The best of the current crop

Bellini - Norma / Eaglen · Mei · La Scola · Remigio · Kavrakos · Gavazzi · Muti
Vincenzo Bellini , Riccardo Muti , Jane Eaglen , Eva Mei , Vincenzo La Scola , Carmela Remigio , Ernesto Gavazzi , and Dimitri Kavrakos
Manufacturer: Opera D'oro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bellini, Vincenzo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000JC9V
Release Date: 1999-06-15

Tracks:

Act One: Sinf - Florence May Festival Orch/Riccardo Muti
Act One: Ite Sul Colle - Oroveso Flavio/Florence May Festival Orch & Chor/Riccardo Muti
Act One: Svanir Le Voci! - Vincenzo La Scola/Oroveso Flavio
Act One: Meco All' Altar Di Venere - Vincenzo La Scola
Act One: Odi?...I Suoi Riti A Compiere - Oroveso Flavio/Vincenzo La Scola/Florence May Festival Orch & Chor/Riccardo Muti
Act One: Me Protegge, Me Difende - Vincenzo La Scola
Act One: Norma Viene - Florence May Festival Chor/Riccardo Muti
Act One: Sediziose Voci - Jane Eaglen/Oroveso Flavio/Florence May Festival Orch & Chor/Riccardo Muti
Act One: Casta Diva - Jane Eaglen/Florence May Festival Chor/Riccardo Muti
Act One: Fine Al Rito, E Il Sacro Bosco - Jane Eaglen
Act One: Ah! Bello A Me Ritorna - Jane Eaglen/Florence May Festival Orch & Chor/Riccardo Muti
Act One: Sgombra E La Sacra Selva - Eva Mei
Act One: Eccola... Va, Mi Lascia - Vincenzo La Scola
Act One: Va, Crudele - Vincenzo La Scola/Eva Mei
Act One: Vieni In Roma - Vincenzo La Scola/Eva Mei
Act One: Vanne, E Li Cela Entrambi - Jane Eaglen/Oroveso Flavio
Act One: Adalgisa!...Alma, Constanza! - Jane Eaglen/Eva Mei
Act One: Oh, Rimembranza! - Jane Eaglen/Eva Mei

Tracks:

Act One: Ma Di... L'Amato Giovane - Jane Eaglen/Eva Mei
Act One: Oh, Non Tremare - Jane Eaglen/Eva Mei
Act One: Oh! Di Qual Sei Tu Vittima - Jane Eaglen/Eva Mei/Vincenzo La Scola/Priestesses/Druids
Act Two: Orch Intro - Florence May Festival Orch/Riccardo Muti
Act Two: Dormono Entrambi - Jane Eaglen/Oroveso Flavio
Act Two: Me Chiami, O Norma? - Eva Mei/Jane Eaglen
Act Two: Deh! Con Te, Con Te Li Prendi - Jane Eaglen/Eva Mei
Act Two: Mira, O Norma - Eva Mei/Jane Eaglen
Act Two: Non Parti? - Warriors
Act Two: Guerrieri! - Oroveso Flavio/Warriors
Act Two: Ah! Del Tebro - Oroveso Flavio/Warriors
Act Two: Ei Tornera - Jane Eaglen/Oroveso Flavio
Act Two: Squilla Il Bronzo Del Dio! - Oroveso Flavio/Priestesses/Druids/Jane Eaglen
Act Two: Guerra, Guerra! - Jane Eaglen/Oroveso Flavio/Priestesses/Druids
Act Two: Ne Compi Il Rito, O Norma? - Oroveso Flavio/Jane Eaglen/Oroveso Flavio/Florence May Festival Chor/Riccardo Muti/Vincenzo La Scola
Act Two: In Mia Man Alfin Tu Sei - Jane Eaglen/Vincenzo La Scola
Act Two: Dammi Quel Ferro - Vincenzo La Scola/Jane Eaglen/Florence May Festival Chor/Riccardo Muti
Act Two: Qual Cor Tradisti - Jane Eaglen/Vincenzo La Scola/Florence May Festival Chor/Riccardo Muti
Act Two: Taci? Ne Ascolti Appena? - Florence May Festival Chor/Riccardo Muti/Jane Eaglen/Vincenzo La Scola/Oroveso Flavio
Act Two: Deh! Non Volerli Vittime - Jane Eaglen/Vincenzo La Scola/Oroveso Flavio/Florence May Festival Chor/Riccardo Muti

Customer Reviews:

Great Normas On Record: Jane Eaglen.......2005-08-20

The current greatest Norma recording. There is also a studio recording with the same cast- Jane Eaglen, Vincenzo La Scola and Eva Mei and that one is outstanding as well. But this live recording from the Florence Festival in Italy benefits from a live performance in which the audience is genuinely caught up in the drama and the powerful performances from the singers. While the last review, the one before mine, was highly critical of Jane Eaglen, I will contradict and prove him wrong. Jane Eaglen has a hell of a time singing Norma, and is perfectly comfortable in the heavy dramatic role. It's perfect for her voice. She is more dramatic in her interpretation because as a long time singer for the English National Opera, she was well aware of English translations to operas. She has a huge, beautiful voice and she makes the role very noble and larger than life. I was blown away. From her solemn entrance: "Sedisioze Voce" to the ethereal strains of "Casta Diva" to the fury of the outcry "O Non Tremare" and the sad final aria, she is Norma without a doubt, even ranking high up there with the greatest Normas of opera- Maria Callas, Leyla Gencer and Montserrat Caballe. She is more in the Caballe fashion than the Callas fashion. She is well-supported by fine artists as mezzo soprano Eva Mei, who has a lyric and sensuous interpretation of Adalgisa (that's how Pellione fell for her, though I'm under the impression that he fell for her youth and sex appeal) Norma is an older woman with more wisdom and experience. Note the very interesting and funny scene in which Adalgisa confronts Norma about Pellione:

Norma: Go to Rome. Take Pellione. Take his children. I..I will kill myself for my transgression.

Adalgisa: I have to take care of his kids ?

Vincenzo La Scola is a fine tenor possessing a lyric and strong quality. Riccardo Muti, in excellent form, conducts a performance that was recorded live from the Florence Festival, Italy. It's a fine recording that anyone who wants to hear great opera should own. And yes, Jane Eaglen is amazing. Look also for her studio Norma, her Tosca (for the English National Opera) her Gotterdammerung, in which she sings Brunhilde, and her albums- Mozart and Strauss arias and Bellini and Wagner arias. She has owned the roles of Dona Ana, Isolde, Brunhilde, Tosca and Norma. And she's modest too and loves to listen to rock before actually singing on stage, so I hear.

All wrong.......2004-01-30

Eaglen is perhaps the worst Norma on disc. Horrible coloratura, pinched high notes, lax phrasing and ZERO characteristation. (Compared to her Dame Joan Sutherland acts as wonderfully as Bette Davis!) Eaglen, a lyric soprano (Perfect for Mimi, Liu etc.) is pressed into those "huge" role because of her looks. BIG Isolde, Brünnhilde, Norma etc. which is ridiculous. Her last runs as Norma at the MET were disastrous. Mei is a lovely Adalgisa, hence the two stars.

A passable Norma at a great price.......2001-05-12

This is not an exciting recording of Norma, but the price is great for a good cast that gives a decent performance. Missing is the passionate acting that one finds in Callas or Sills. Eaglen takes time to warm up so that Casta Diva, coming early in the opera, is a disappointment. She definitely sounds better as the opera progresses. If you're on a tight budget, this is not a bad rendition of Norma to own.

Wonderfully done.......2001-04-24

This recording was my introduction to the work of Vincenzo Bellini. I feel it incumbent upon me to establish that, so that you do not assume me to be particularly versed in either his work, or the smorgasbord of recordings available. That established, Jane Eaglen's voice is by no means the equal of Sutherland or Callas, but she nonetheless carries the opera beautifully. Two factors guided me in the purchase of this recording: that it is a live recording (Florence, 1994), and also the comparatively reasonable price. For the price, this is a nearly unbeatable value: at any price, it is a fine recording, the sound quality leaves nothing to be desired, nor is it, as is often the case with such live recordings, cursed by poor microphone placement. This is a very fine production.

The best of the current crop.......2001-03-17

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.

Average customer rating:

Stunning
Vocally secure but no Maria Callas
Exceptional
Disapointed
Not Whitney Houston

Jane Eaglen - Bellini & Wagner
Vincenzo Bellini , Richard Wagner , Mark Elder , and Jane Eaglen
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Eaglen, Jane | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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Jane Eaglen - Italian Opera Arias
Jane Eaglen - Mozart & Strauss / Zubin Mehta
Jane Eaglen - Four Last Songs, Wesendonck-Lieder, Seven Early Song / Runnicles
Renée Fleming - Signatures ~ Great Opera Scenes / Sir Georg Solti
HOMAGE: The Age of the Diva

ASIN: B0000029OA
Release Date: 1996-10-15

Tracks:

Il pirata: Col Sorriso D'Innocenza
Bianca e Fernando: Sorgi, O Padre, e La Figlia Rimira
Norma: Casta Diva
Tristan und Isolde: Prelude
Tristan und Isolde: Liebestod
Die Walkure: Brunnhilde's Battle Cry
Gotterdammerung: Brunnhilde's Immolation Scene

Amazon.com

Bellini and Wagner may seem like a musical odd couple, but the pairing makes sense since Italian bel canto formed one of the streams that fed the tumultuous torrent of Wagnerian music drama. Jane Eaglen's sumptuous dramatic soprano is a throwback to rare prima donnas of the past who excelled in the music of both composers although, like them, she possesses a voice whose size and amplitude often defeat the microphone's ability to capture it with realism. Still, there's much to admire, including the sheer novelty of so sizeable a voice negotiating Bellini's fragile lines and the sheer beauty of much of the singing. However, despite some thrilling whoops and hollers in Brünnhilde's battle cry from Die Walküre, impact is dimmed by a hint of interpretive blandness, routine orchestral accompaniments, and, especially in Bellini, a rhythmic slackness. An important, if flawed, document of one of the great voices of our age. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Stunning.......2007-07-16

Bellini and Wagner at their Best
I was just listening to The Immonlation Scene in gotterdammerung and teared up
Jane Eaglen is absolutley brilliant

Vocally secure but no Maria Callas.......2006-05-27

My husband & I find it impossible not to admire Ms. Eaglen's tonal beauty, her ease of production. How difficult this music is, and how one must have to love it to pieces to dare approach it. But after listening to the Pirata piece (Col sorriso d'innocenza) three times in succession, we brought out Callas, for *dramatic* coloratura---sung with accents, layers of meaning, exquisite rhythm, and musical and dramatic momentum. One one hand, a scene; on the other, a entire panorama of sound and meaning...

But we sense that Ms. Eaglen has the capability to fine-tune. We'd feel we'd be foolish to give up on her, so we shall not. By any rational standard, she is a rarity in today's age, thus not to be dismissed out-of-hand. Also, she deserves better conductors, who will keep her voice "out front". Is there a Tullio Serafin lurking in the house?

Exceptional.......2005-07-20

I will openly admit I do enjoy Jane Eaglen's sing, but I have had many reservations about her recordings. Though I enjoy them, each has disappointed me in some way. This is no exception. It is not her, nor is it her singing that really disappoint me at all, it is how her voice is handled by the recording engineers. There are complaints that her performances are "boring", "liveless", that they lack "drama" and all that. The truth is, in life that is not the case at all. She is filled with drama, life, and detailed interpretation. A voice like her's is exceptionally large and huge, like a tidal wave of sound. However, she has great musicality, has great command of dynamics, and does do many interesting things to make the character come alive. She also has good pitch.

Like all super large voices, especially those in a darker hue, as is Eaglen's, the voice can and often does sound boring and expressionless in recording. The thrill of the voice comes when you are out there, in the theatre. Since, her voice is rather dark in quality, the brightness it seems is so required by techical engineers to work magic in the recording studio gets lost. Her voice is very penitrating, it has ring, but we get only a small glimpse of that, and only on her high notes.

That complaint is my complaint dealing with all her recordings. As to her interpretations, well, they are uniquely her. No, she is not a Callas, nor is she a Joan Sutherland, when it comes to her NORMA. Her coloraturas don't dazzle us with their brilliance, nor does she squeeze out her sound with some intended dramatic purpose as Callas does. However, she has just as much musicality as either of those ladies. Their interpretations are legend, and they should be, but Eaglen isn't trying to copy either of them, and I am glad she isn't. Her NORMA in performance has much to recommend it, as it does in this recording, but it has to be looked at for what it is and the voice that is doing it. Her voice is far bigger than either of the afore mentioned ladies. Her tone is cavernous. The voice is a heavy dramatic voice, well suited to Wagner. What is amazing is not what she lacks compared to the coloratura of Sutherland, but rather what she can do with a voice large and powerful as Flagstad. And that is what most reviewers are forgetting. Even Nilsson was not that great at coloratura and could often sound heavy and over-labored in Mozart and even Weber. One hardly reads a complaint about her Donna Anna or even her version of "ocean, you mighty monster" from Oberon (sung in German), nor does one hear the slightest complaint about her lack of trill in the Walkure war cry.

Eaglen is not perfect, but she does wonders with her talent. Her colorature is far better than just respectable, it is fine work, especially considering the heaviness of the voice producing it. Her Mozart is well sung, but again, she is not the light delicate Mozart singer we are used to, and it is wise she never tried to make her voice do what it can't or be what it is not. She is a dramatic soprano, and thus, she approaches her music faithful to what she is, and using her talent then creates something wonderful with the music she is singing. Her Wagner is thrilling and we are hearing the voice perfectly at home. No, she is not as detailed in her interpretation as say Modl or even Varney, but she is offering us a living breathing Brunhilde well worth considering. And she offers what none of the afore mentioned singers offered in the Walkure War Cry, a real trill. Though, personally, I am not impressed with the "stressing" of the beat that is done to keep the long trill moving. It is distracting, but not bad.

My only desire is that the engineers would do with her as they do to Dimitrova, and that is to record her voice far away from the mike; like Dimitrova, her voice is huge enough it will never be lost, but we will get more of the focus, the warmth, and the fire that is there in performance (and all one has to do is buy a copy of a life performance of her's to her what her voice is like). Voices like this get only more exciting when they have the space of the theatre in which to move. Otherwise, yes, she does sound "boxed in" as some writers have said, but not boxed in because of lack of talent or direction, just by technical issues she is not in control of.

Disapointed.......2005-07-16

When I first bought this recording I was very impressed by Eaglen singing of Bellini and Wagner. But after listening to singers as Callas, Sutherland, Nilsson she sounds inadequate.
I don't no why she thinks she can pull this off. The person who wrote that Eaglen's Norma was the best must be out his mind.
I whas also stupid enough to buy her recording of Turandot. Eaglen and O'neil both sound awful on that recording. The only Eaglen recording I can recommend is her Tosca. Forget everything else.

Not Whitney Houston.......2005-02-10

The British soprano Jane Eaglen has chosen selections from Bellini and Wagner for her first recording, and what an amazing CD this is. Apparently there isn't much she isn't capable of doing with this glorious voice. From pianissimo high notes to the dramatic, her voice soars and swells. All the arias here are altogether wonderful-- from "Casta diva" to "Brunnhilde's Battle Cry" and "Brunnhilde's Immolation Scene," the first Wagner, according to the notes, that Mr. Eaglen sang in public while still in her early 20's.

The notes, both about the singer and the selections, are most informative. Quoting from her commentary: "Wagner wrote dramatic music that should be sung beautifully and Bellini wrote beautiful music that should be sung dramatically." And finally, when Ms. Eaglen began her first voice lessons while still a teenager, she realized immediately, to her everlasting credit, that she wasn't a pop singer. "There was no way I could make myself sound like Whitney Houston," she says. While there is certainly nothing wrong with Houston's voice-- some of her music I like a great deal-- we can all be thankful that this great voice wasn't wasted on pop music.

This very fine CD will bring you much pleasure.

Bellini - Norma / Eaglen · La Scola · Mei · Kavrakos · Maggio Musicale · Muti

Average customer rating:

Now A Rarity, But You're Not Missing Much

Bellini - Norma / Eaglen · La Scola · Mei · Kavrakos · Maggio Musicale · Muti
Vincenzo Bellini , Riccardo Muti , Jane Eaglen , Vincenzo La Scola , Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino , Eva Mei , Dimitri Kavrakos , and Ernesto Gavazzi
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Eaglen, Jane | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000002RVG
Release Date: 1995-08-08

Tracks:

Sinfonia/Overture - Richardo Muti
'Ite Sul Colle...Dell' Aura Tua Profetica' - Dimitri Kavrakos
'Svanir Le Voci!' - Vincenzo La Scola
'Meco All'Altar Di Venere' - Vincenzo La Scola
'Odi?...I Suoi Riti A Compiere...' - Vincenzo La Scola
'Me Protegge, Me Difende' - Vincenzo La Scola
Norma Viene - Coro Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Sediziose Voci - Coro Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Casta Diva - Coro Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
'Fine Al Rito, E Il Sacro Bosco' - Coro Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
'Ah! Bello A Me Ritorna' - Jane Eaglen
'Sgombra E La Sacra Selva' - Eva Mei
'Eccola-Va, Mi Lascia' - Eva Mei
'Va, Crudele' - Eva Mei
'Vieni In Roma' - Eva Mei

Tracks:

'Vanne, E Li Cela Entrambi' - Jane Eaglen
'Adalgisa!' (Alma, Costanza...) - Jane Eaglen
'Oh, Rimembranza' - Jane Eaglen
'Ah Si, Fa Core, Abbracciami' - Jane Eaglen
'Ma Di...L'Amato Giovine?' - Jane Eaglen
'Oh, Di Qual Sei Tu Vittima' - Jane Eaglen
'Perfido!...Or Basti!' - Jane Eaglen
'Vanne, Si, Mi Lascia, Indegno' - Jane Eaglen
Introduzione - Richardo Muti
'Dormono Entrambi!' - Jane Eaglen
'Ola! Clotilde!' - Jane Eaglen
'Mi Chiami, O Norma?' - Carmela Remigio
'Deh! Con Te, Con Te Li Prendi' - Jane Eaglen
'Mira, O Norma?' - Carmela Remigio
'Cedi...Deh, Cedi!' - Jane Eaglen
'Si, Fino All'Ore Estreme' - Jane Eaglen

Tracks:

'Non Parti?' - Coro Del Maggio Musicale Florentino
Guerrieri! A Voi Venire - Coro Del Maggio Musicale Florentino
'Ah! Del Tobro Al Giogo Indegno' - Dimitri Kavrakos
'Ei Tornera. Si!' - Jane Eaglen
'Squilla Il Bronzo Del Dio!' - Jane Eaglen
'Guerra! Guerra!' - Coro Del Maggio Musicale Florentino
'Ne Compi Il Rito, O Norma?' - Jane Eaglen
'In Mia Man Alfin Tu Sei' - Jane Eaglen
'Gia Mi Pasco Ne Tuoi Sguardi' - Jane Eaglen
'Dammi Quel Ferro!' - Jane Eaglen
Qual Cor Tradisti - Richardo Muti
'Norma!...Deh! Norma, Scolpati!' - Vincenzo La Scola
'Deh! Non Voleri Vittime' - Jane Eaglen

Customer Reviews:

Now A Rarity, But You're Not Missing Much.......2006-05-23

This is one of those digital-era opera recordings (taped July 1994, issued the following year) that seemed to appear and then go out of print in approximately the amount of time it would take to play them twice. And, while I was happy to finally have tracked down a "like-new" copy via Amazon marketplace, twice is about as many times as I wanted to hear it.

I had looked forward to hearing this particular score played under the exacting baton of Maestro Muti, a controversial figure venerated by many for his scholarship, his remarkably acute ear, and his high standards of ensemble, and excoriated by others for what they see as killjoy pedantry and excessive strictness (he generally proscribes unwritten high notes and severely limits ornamentation from even star singers). It seemed to me that his customarily disciplined, taut, urgent leadership would be a stimulating corrective or at least an alternative to the slack and sleepy conducting and/or second-rate execution that has compromised many previous recordings of Bellini's masterpiece, however vividly sung and acted. And that did hold true in the main. Muti runs a tight ship as usual, and the orchestra and chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (an ensemble with which he has very deep roots; it was his work as their principal conductor that launched him to international prominence 25 years before) rises to the challenge. Only here and there does the reading get too hard-driven, with the brisk tempi pursued to the point of hectic joylessness (much of the overture suffers this way, as does the "Guerra! Guerra!" choral outburst). Still, while this is not the most inspired performance I have heard from this conductor in terms of musical shaping and flow, it is a reading of both vitality and sensitivity -- the canny pacing of the Adalgisa/Pollione duet is an example of discreet accompaniment at a very high level. In technical terms, the live recording is well balanced, and it's nice in this opera to hear choristers audibly "right in the thick of things" when they're in mass formation on stage, and not illogically distanced, as sometimes is the case in studio-made products.

It is a shame that one of our great living conductors of Italian opera was not matched in this work with an equally adept cast. Eaglen makes some attractive sounds in the middle of her range at mezzo-forte or less, but Norma does not seem to be a role for which she is particularly well suited, at least on the evidence here. The voice is fatally lacking in flexibility, so that florid patches are barely marked; pitch is often errant, especially on top; and the sound tends to harden and take on a glassy quality when she needs to step up the volume. La Scola's Pollione is worse, and provincial to a depressing extreme: it's all so much gritty, colorless hectoring, innocent of style, blowsy of line where legato is called for, and with registers poorly equalized. That leaves Mei. For most of the recorded era, the role of the young priestess Adalgisa, who ideally should have a more vulnerable, less mature sound and bearing than that of her rival Norma, was cast with mezzos. Many of them were fine musicians, some even legendary singers; but simply by dint of their natural endowment, they made the character sound inappropriately matronly. The best for which one could hope in those times would be either a very young mezzo (Ludwig at the time of the second Callas recording) or a mezzo with some soprano characteristics (Cossotto and Verrett, both of whom had a wide enough range to successfully essay select soprano roles), or both. Soprano Montserrat Caballe, herself a distinguished former Norma, made a mark on the opera's performance history when she took the part on Joan Sutherland's second commercial recording of the opera in the early 1980s, and the casting trend in recent decades has followed suit. Eva Mei on the present recording gives the most satisfying performance of the three principals. She's a pleasant-sounding Adalgisa in the modern/authentic lighter-voiced/soprano mold, and she can make her voice move to the specifications of the music. Her shortcoming, alas, is one she shares with Eaglen and La Scola -- none of them is, here, a particularly engaging, expressive or imaginative singer or dramatic presence; collectively they make for an object lesson in singers "filling" roles rather than inhabiting them. And a NORMA with three dramatic ciphers, two of whom also have significant strikes against them in the pure-singing sweepstakes, is simply not a recommendable NORMA.

I wish I could marry the virtues of Muti's conducting here to the vocal glamour and security of the 1972 RCA recording featuring Caballe, Cossotto, and Domingo (the principals of Muti's later AIDA recording, come to think of it). That set (perfunctory and anonymous conducting by Cillario notwithstanding), both of the Callas/EMI recordings under Serafin, the legendary Caballe/Vickers/Veasey live performance at Orange (on DVD), and still others far surpass this one. It would have been an acceptable way to pass an afternoon if encountered in radio-broadcast form, but was scarcely worth preserving.

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