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Project collects

• Performers of the premieres
• Collaborators and inspirers
• Greatest performers
• Persons are sorted on this page by roles and birth years

. photo: Bellini's-"Norma", poster for 1831 premiere
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Vincenzo Bellini: Norma

• Opera (tragedia lirica) in two acts, in Italian
• Music by Vincenzo Bellini
• Libretto by Felice Romani after the play Norma, ou L'infanticide (Norma, or The Infanticide) by Alexandre Soumet (1788-1845)
• Place: Gaul (France)
• Time: c. 100-50 BC (Roman occupation)
• Premiere and some important performances
  • Italy: 26 December 1831, World Premiere at La Scala, Milan
  • Italy: 1834 at Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Maria Malibran in the title role
  • France, Premiere: 1835, Paris. Right after the enormous success in Paris, Norma spread all over the world.
  • Latvia, Premiere: 1837 at the First City Theatre of Riga, conducted by Richard Wagner, who supplemented the opera with an aria for bass and choir, which has not survived in the later opera performances.
  • Sweden, Premiere: 19 May 1841 at Royal Swedish Opera, Stockholm, Jenny Lind as Norma, Berwald conducting
  • UK: 1843 at Her Majesty's Theatre, London, Luigi Lablache as Oroveso, Giulia Grisi as Norma, Dominique Conti as Pollione.
  • USA: 27 February 1890 at Metropolitan Opera, New York (1st performance at Met), Lilli Lehmann as Norma
  • USA: 1927 at Metropolitan Opera, New York, Rosa Ponselle as Norma
  • Italy: November/December 1948 at Teatro Comunale di Firenze, with Maria Callas, and Tullio Serafin conducting
  • UK: November 1952 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, with Maria Callas as Norma and Joan Sutherland as Clotilde

. Act 2 finale, Luigi Lablache as Oroveso, Giulia Grisi as Norma, Dominique Conti as Pollione. Her Majesty's Theatre, London, 1843

• Roles
  • Norma, daughter of Oroveso, High-priestess of the druids, coloratura soprano
    • Giuditta Pasta (26 Dec 1831, World Premiere)
    • Giuseppina Ronzi de Begnis
    • Clorinda Corradi
    • Giuditta Grisi
    • Maria Malibran
    • Giulia Grisi
    • Jenny Lind
    • Lilli Lehmann (27 Feb 1890, Metropolitan)
    • Leonilda Paini Gabbi
    • Claudia Muzio
    • Rosa Raisa
    • Rosa Ponselle
    • Gina Cigna
    • Zinka Milanov
    • Maria Callas
    • Joan Sutherland
    • Leyla Gencer
    • Beverly Sills
    • Cristina Deutekom
    • Shirley Verrett
    • Montserrat Caballé
    • Renata Scotto
    • Grace Bumbry (born 1937)
    • Katia Ricciarelli
    • Edita Gruberová
    • June Anderson (born 1952)
    • Hasmik Papian (born 1961)
  • Adalgisa, priestess in the grove of the Irminsul statue, soprano (often sung by mezzo-sopranos)
    • Giulia Grisi (26 Dec 1831, World Premiere)
    • Giuditta Grisi
    • Clorinda Corradi
    • Jennie Tourel
    • Ebe Stignani
    • Giulietta Simionato
    • Christa Deiber
    • Shirley Verrett
    • Montserrat Caballé
    • Fiorenza Cossotto
  • Pollione, Roman proconsul in Gaul, spinto tenor
    • Domenico Donzelli (26 Dec 1831, World Premiere)
    • Mario Del Monaco
    • Franco Corelli
    • Jon Vickers
    • Bernabé Martí
    • Luciano Pavarotti
    • Plácido Domingo
  • Oroveso, Norma's father, chief of the druids, bass
    • Vincenzo Negrini (26 Dec 1831, World Premiere)
    • Luigi Lablache
    • Tancredi Pasèro
    • Giacomo Vaghi
    • Boris Christoff
    • Ivo Vinco
  • Clotilde, Norma's friend, soprano
    • Marietta Sacchi (26 Dec 1831, World Premiere)
    • Joan Sutherland
  • Flavio, Pollione's companion, tenor
    • Lorenzo Lombardi (26 Dec 1831, World Premiere)
  • Druids, bards, Gallic priests, warriors and soldiers
• Scenographers
  • Alessandro Sanquirico (26 Dec 1831, World Premiere)
• Costume designors
• Stage directors
  • Renata Scotto (2004 Helsinki)
• Conductors (capo d'orchestra)
  • Alessandro Antonio Francesco Maria Rolla (26 Dec 1831,,World Premiere)
  • Richard Wagner in 1837 in Riga, Latvia
  • Tullio Serafin
  • Vittorio Gui
  • Fausto Cleva
  • Nicola Rescigno
  • Silvio Varviso
  • Georges Prêtre
  • Richard Bonynge
  • Giuseppe Patanè
  • Riccardo Muti
  • James Lawrence Levine

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