Norma is a two-act Opera by Vincenzo Bellini, set to a libretto by Felice Romani. Based on Alexandre Soumet's play Norma, ou L'infanticide, it is the quintessential opera of the bel canto period, and the lead role herself is the prolific diva role in the soprano repertoire.
The opera takes place in ancient Gaul, under Roman occupation. Norma, the high-priestess of the Druids and daughter of the Druid Chief Oroveso, had fallen in love with Pollione, a Roman official, and gave birth to his two children in secret.
By the time the opera opens up, the Druids are preparing to go to war against the Romans. In the meantime, Pollione reveals to his companion Flavio that he has lost all interest in Norma, and that he has started an affair with Adalgisa, another virgin priestess. Later on, Norma and the Druids come to pray to the goddess of victory, where Norma sings her ever-famous aria, "Casta Diva".
Meanwhile, Adalgisa is torn between her love for Pollione and her loyalty to Norma, when Pollione comes to her and begs her to elope with him to Rome. Adalgisa ends up paying a visit to Norma in her home, and asks to be released from her vows, saying that she's found love with someone. But just as Norma agrees to do so, Pollione arrives, and Norma realizes that Pollione has betrayed her, while Adalgisa realizes that Pollione had once pledged himself to Norma. Act I ends in a furious confrontation, with Norma cursing Pollione and Adalgisa rejecting him as he begs her to elope with him.
Later on, Norma is torn over what to do. She tries to tell Adalgisa to take her children and go live with Pollione in Rome, but Adalgisa cannot bring herself to do so, wanting Pollione to reunite with Norma instead. But her efforts to convince Pollione fail, and so Norma declares war against the Romans just as Pollione is caught in the Druid temple. But in order to complete the rites to go to war, they must sacrifice someone. Norma reveals that she has broken her sacred vows, and admits to having borne two children from Pollione. As she prepares to die on the sacrificial pyre, Pollione's love for her is revived, and so he joins her on the pyre as the opera ends in a grand finale.
After its premiere at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1831, the opera quickly became immensely popular in Europe. And the bel canto revival in the 20th century gave way to many prolific divas performing the notoriously-difficult titular role, including Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills, and Montserrat Caballé. Today, the opera continues to be widely performed around the world, with some of the famous modern interpretations being those of Cecilia Bartoli, Sondra Radvanovsky, and Mariella Devia.
The opera contains examples of:
- Alone-with-Prisoner Ploy: Norma asks to be alone with Pollione when he is captured by the Druids, saying she wants to interrogate him about the priestess who broke her vows to be with her. Instead she explains her plan to spare him (though she's initially willing to go for Revenge by Proxy on Adalgisa).
- Burn the Witch!: Norma dies on a pyre for breaking her vows as a priestess and becoming involved with Pollione, who also dies on the pyre with her.
- Crowd Song: The opening song in the first scene of Act I, “Ite sul colle, o Druidi”, and the subsequent song, “Dell’aura tua profetica”.
- A Deadly Affair: Pollione is involved with Norma but has an affair with Adalgisa, causing drama that ends with both Norma and Pollione being killed.
- Druid: Norma, Adalgisa, Clotilde, and Oroveso are Druids. In general, the opera takes its liberties in regards to the culture and history of the druids, as part of the works of the Celtic revival that was popular in the Romantic era.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Oroveso, a bass role, seems to be more along the lines of an anti-villain than a straight-up villain.
- Externally Validated Prophecy: It is prophecized that the Romans will be destroyed, not by the Druids but by their own corruption. This never happens in the play but is true for some interpretations of how the Roman Empire actually fell.
- Face Death with Dignity: How Norma prepares for her death in the pyre.
- Forbidden Fruit: Norma is a priestess, but she’s broken her vows and had an affair with Pollione, a Roman soldier.
- Forbidden Love: Both Norma and Adalgisa with Pollione, both because they are priestesses who are supposed to be celibate and because Pollione is a Roman soldier who is supposed to be their enemy.
- Foreshadowing: Pollione’s aria, “Meco all’altar di Venere”, where he tells Flavio about a dream he has, where Adalgisa is beside him at the alter of Venus when a huge storm strikes, and he believes it presages disaster for the both of them.
- Give Him a Normal Life: Norma wants Adalgisa to take her children to the Roman camp for Pollione in the hopes that he’ll be a good father to them and a better partner to Adalgisa. However, Adalgisa refuses, and renounces Pollione to remain with Norma.
- Glass-Shattering Sound: Subverted. Norma sings a soft high B-flat in a cadenza. And at the very end of the opera, Norma sings a high note as she leaps onto the pyre.
- The Hero Dies: Norma is burned on the pyre for her relationship with Pollione in the end.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In Act II, Norma declares that she is the priestess who has broken her vows, and sacrifices herself on the pyre so that the Druids can go to war.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Norma and Adalgisa are the female version of this trope.
- High Priest: Norma is the high priestess of the Druids.
- Incredibly Long Note: "Casta Diva" has quite a bit of these.
- In fact, the role of Norma is not only the quintessential bel canto soprano role, but it’s also one of the most taxing, difficult roles in the soprano repertoire. German soprano Lilli Lehmann even said that singing all of three Brünnhilde roles of Wagner’s Ring cycle operas in one evening is less stressful than singing one Norma. Renata Scotto has even called it “the Everest of opera”, because the role requires years of training for the soprano to have strong breath control, do various vocal tricks, and then sing a soft high B-flat in the cadenza. And above all, the role requires a strong acting skill to convey Norma’s strength and vulnerability as well. Maria Callas is considered one of the best Normas of all times, and she’s sung the role more than 90 times and has even recorded the opera twice.
- Jerkass: Pollione. Despite the fact that Norma has broken her vows as a priestess and secretly gave birth to his children, he abandons her in favour of Adalgisa, another priestess. Understandably, Norma is furious with him for his betrayal.
- Love Across Battlelines: Norma and Adalgisa, who are Druid priestesses are both in love with Pollione, a Roman, while they are at war with the Romans.
- Love Triangle: Norma/Pollione/Adalgisa.
- Massive Multiplayer Ensemble Number: “Qual cor tradisti” is sung by Norma, Pollione, Oroveso, and the entire chorus.
- Offing the Offspring: Averted. Norma briefly considers killing her children, but she cannot bring herself to do it. But in Act III, Norma threatens Pollione with killing the children if he doesn’t shun Adalgisa forever.
- Please Kill Me if It Satisfies You: Despite Norma's efforts to spare him, Pollione wants to be killed by her as punishment for what he did.
- Protagonist Title: Norma, of course.
- Redemption Equals Death: Pollione’s love for Norma is rekindled when Norma sacrifices herself, and he joins her on the pyre to die with her.
- Revenge by Proxy: Norma thinks of kililng her and Pollione's children in part to cause Pollione pain, then later wants to kill Adalgisa for the same reason, though she ultimately can't go through with it.
- Secret Relationship: At first, Norma was in a secret relationship with Pollione. Then, Adalgisa and Pollione get into a secret relationship.
- Take Care of the Kids: Norma asks Oroveso to take care of her children before she dies.
- Tenor Boy: Pollione is a tenor and is lovestruck, believing his romance will be able to overcome the Druids' religion.
- Together in Death: Norma and Pollione die on the pyre together in Act II.
- Vow of Celibacy: Norma is a high-priestess, so this means that she’s forbidden from having a relationship. However, not only has she broken her vows to have an affair with Pollione, but she’s also given birth to his children. Likewise, Adalgisa herself has made these sacred vows, and if she wishes to pursue a relationship, she has to ask to be released from them.
- Woman Scorned: Norma downplays this a bit; she’s definitely hurt and upset with Pollione, and the aria she sings as she prepares to die on the pyre, “Qual cor tradisti”, literally translates to “The heart you betrayed".
