Archive for National Opera House

INO Norma at the National Opera House

Posted in Opera with tags , , , , , , , , on June 4, 2026 by telescoper

I had seen the by Vincenzo Bellini‘s opera Norma twice (before yesterday evening) but both times were before I starting blogging so I was very pleased to see that Irish National Opera were doing a new production this year. It had a run at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin, but I took the chance to see it National Opera House in Wexford. The first time I went there was last year and was to see a very different opera, although that one and Norma are both generally categorized by the term bel canto. I was so excited by the prospect of seeing this production that I made myself a Bellini on Saturday, only to discover that the cocktail is named after a different Bellini…

Norma is not performed all that often, largely because it is difficult to find a singer capable of doing justice to the title role which is acknowledged as being one of the most vocally demanding roles in all opera. It is a role that the great Maria Callas made her own in the 1950s which places the additional burden on the the singer of stepping out of the shadow of such a legend. I was delighted that in Salome Jicia INO found an artist who could meet the challenges of the part. She was stunning.

I think the part of Norma is difficult not only because of the vocal range of the part, from the lyrical beauty of the famous aria Casta Diva to the agility needed to perform the coloratura passages, but also for the sheer stamina required. There really is a lot of singing for her to do in this opera! Jicia took it in her stride. Bellini rarely gets the orchestra to double the vocal line, so the voice of the singer is very exposed. At times it’s like watching acrobatics knowing that there’s no safety net!

Anyway, to the plot.

Norma is a tragedia lirica in two Acts, set in ancient Gaul which is under occupation by the Romans. The eponymous Norma is the high priestess of the native Druids. She is also a complex chartacter, not least because she is in a relationship with a high-ranking Roman, Pollione, with whom she has had two kids. It turns out that Pollione is tiring of Norma and has turned his attention to her friend Adalgisa, who does not know about Pollione’s involvement with Norma.

The Opera begins with the heavily armed Gauls, led by Norma’s father Oroveso, planning to rise up against the Roman occupiers. But only Norma can sanction an armed rebellion and she says no. The aria Casta Diva expresses Norma’s desire for peace, but this is not just because she feels the Romans have greater military strength and would crush the rising, but because of her thing with Pollione. Over the course of the Opera we find out about Pollione’s infatuation with Adalgisa and their planned elopement to Rome which sends Norma into such a rage she threatens to kill her own children. Eventually Norma decides to change her mind about the uprising and calls for it to go ahead. Protocol requires a human sacrifice to initiate such a move, so the question is who is for the chop? Will it be Pollione, or Adalgisa? Norma surprises the assembled Gauls by confessing her sacreligious relationship with Pollione and declaring herself to be the sacrifice. Pollione is overcome by remorse at what he has done, and decides to join Norma in death.

Well, what did you expect in an Opera, a happy ending?

This production eschews the Normal (geddit?) setting of forest groves and scared shrines and places it in a sort of modern post-apocalyptic dystopia. The stage is dominated by barricades apparently hastily constructed from broken furniture and scrap metal. Lighting is sombre and claustrophobic. This jars with Bellini’s music when it evokes pastoral beauty – the music is too light and pretty for such a gloomy setting.

Gone are the swords, spears and druidic robes and in come AK-47s, pistols and somewhat scruffy modern-looking outfits. Even Norma’s dress is nothing fancy. The Gauls look like a ramshackle but heavily armed paramilitary group and are indistinguishable in costume from the Romans, except that the latter have special haircuts – mohawks died bright red on top. I found this a bit confusing and felt that it negated the theme of “occupiers versus occupied” which runs throughout the piece. This choice is probably intended to show the struggle as one between two rival groups in a polarized community. In the hands of the chorus the guns create a very menacing backgroup to several scenes, and of course the ending ends not by ritual burning, as in the original, but by firing squad.

The musical pyrotechnics do pose challenges for the staging, however, because an opera is not just a concert. It doesn’t work as music drama if the singers are just standing there belting out tunes. They also need to employ gestures and facial expressions to match the emotions expressed by the score and it can’t be too static. In this production the set is rather simple, and when I first saw it I assumed that it would be moved around a lot to create different locations, but that was only done to a limited extent. To compensate for the inflexible scenery, the chorus often provides a moving backdrop to the action. In the hands of the chorus the proliferation of guns create a very menacing backgroup to several scenes, and of course the ending ends not by ritual burning, as in the original, but by firing squad. The chorus was used very imaginatively, I’d say, not only to make up the numbers on stage, but also in their singing. I liked the idea of the chorus being split for some passages, leading one’s attention around the stage as the different groups gave voice.

I already mentioned Salome Jicia, but the other principals were also very good. Mario Chang (tenor) was a fine Pollione, William Guanbo Su a towering Oroveso with a rich bass and Siobhan Stagge as Adalgisa sang and acted beautifully. Despite some reservations about the staging, I thought this was a hugely enjoyable performance. Bellini has his critics, but I think the last part of Act II, the principals and chorus singing their hearts out to wonderful music, as the drama moves inexorably to its tragic conclusion, is one of the most intensely moving experiences in the entire operatic repertoire.

P.S. If you have 20 minutes to spare, listen to the Act II finale as performed by Callas here.

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L’elisir d’amore at the National Opera House

Posted in Opera with tags , , , , , , , , on June 5, 2025 by telescoper

My trip to Wexford was to mark a special occasion by paying my first ever visit to the National Opera House to see a performance of Donizetti’s comic opera L’elisir d’amore by Irish National Opera. It was well worth the trip, as it was a wonderfully entertaining production with lovely singing and lots of laugh-out-loud moments. In short, it was a blast.

Billed as a melodramma giocoso, but more usually called an opera buffa, this was the first Donizetti opera to be performed in Ireland, in 1838; its world premiere was in 1832 in Milan and it has been in the operatic repertoire ever since. The show-stopping Una furtiva lagrima in Act II is one of the most recorded tenor arias, the first recording of which dates back to 1904 (by Enrico Caruso).

In case you’re not aware of the opera, it tells the story of a lowly peasant (Nemorino, tenor) who is in love with the wealthy Adina (soprano), who does not return his love – understandably not just because he’s poor but because he’s a bit of a drip. In despair Nemorino turns to the fake doctor Dulcamara (bass-baritone) “famous throughout the Universe and certain other places” who has arrived in town to peddle potions and quack remedies, no doubt made from snake oil. Nemorino asks him for a philtre that will make Adina fall for him. Dulcamara has sold all his potions, but fills an empty medicine bottle with wine and tells him it’s the love potion he needs. After drinking it, Nemorino feels more confident, but Adina still isn’t interested. Worse, Adina has agreed to marry to soldier Belcore. That’s Act I.

In Act II, desperate to stop the marriage, Nemorino wants to buy some more of the love potion but he has no money so he agrees to join the army for which he is entitled to a joining fee. He spends the money on more wine and gets completely wasted, so much so that he misses the news that a rich uncle has died and left him a large inheritance. When the women of the town find out that he is now rich, they all start showing an interest in Nemorino, which he assumes is because of the love-potion. At this point Adina decides she really does love Nemorino, buys out his contract with the army, and calls off the wedding with Belcore. The soldier shrugs off his loss. Dulcamara convinces himself that he really has magical powers…

Summarizing the plot doesn’t really do justice to the opera, however, as there are numerous musical interludes, with dancing, and slapstick comedy. Donizetti’s music is wonderful, and keeps the pace going. It’s basically a theatrical farce set to music, with the score keeping everything moving at the speed that is essential to make such a thing work. Erina Tashima conducted the Orchestra of Irish National Opera with great verve.

This production is set in a comical Wild West of America, with a relatively simple set but wonderful very witty costumes. Nemorino (Duke Kim) was dressed like Woody from Toy Story, for example. We also had appearances from Calamity Jane, Laurely & Hardy (who do their “Way Out West” dance), Abraham Lincoln and even the couple from Grant Wood’s painting American Gothic. Adina (Claudia Boyle) has no fewer than five costume changes, each one into a frock more glamorous than the previous. Dulcamara was the wonderful John Molloy and there is great comedy between him and his diminutive sidekick Truffaldino (a non-singing part played by Ian O’Reilly). Belcore’s troops are kitted out like the US Cavalry, and their dancing and messing about delivers laugh after laugh. There are also sundry “peasants”, i.e. cowboys and women of the town adding to the hilarity. I give 10/10 to the members of the chorus, their Director Richard McGrath and choreographer Paula O’Reilly.

All the principles were great too. Claudia Boyle sang beautifully, but also conveyed the comic aspects of her role. Duke Kim was perfectly cast as the boyish Nemorino; he has a light and agile tenor voice, which he used to bring the house down with the big number Una Furtiva Lagrima in Act II. Belcore was baritone Gianluca Margheri (whom I saw perform in Maynooth a couple of years ago). His physique matches the muscular quality of his voice, and he wasn’t shy in showing it off by taking off his shirt onstage! John Molloy’s singing was as impeccable as his comic timing in the role of Dulcamara. I think he got the most laughs, in a production that produced many.

This triumphant production plays L’elisir d’amore for laughs and wins by a knockout. Sadly there’s only one performance left in this run, in Cork on Saturday 7th June. Do go if you can!

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