For my last European weekend trip by plane, my heart was set on Norma in Brussels. After Milan, Gstaad, and Bern, I wanted to revisit Bellini’s masterpiece, especially with everything I’d learned about its creation after a recent stay in Catania.
The funny thing about this production is that it helped me make a New Year’s resolution for 2026: to stop spending a fortune on such a short weekend to see such a dreadful production, and to use that time to do more interesting things than watching a production like this, such as counting the number of grains of rice in a packet—an experience that, without a doubt, will be more captivating than what I saw on stage.
The advantage of being human is having five senses. I put all my energy into listening with my eyes closed. I was so eager to discover Enea Scala as Pollione that simply closing my eyes was enough to enjoy this sublime singer. Once again, I’m not some old fogey (not yet) who only likes things from another era and always says things were better in the past, not at all. There are operas that lend themselves very well to modern settings, but a Gauloise with burning cars…
I was so looking forward to seeing Alexander Vinogradov again as bass, as he is currently one of the best in Italian opera alongside Michele Pertusi. Unfortunately, the role of Oroveso is far too short for a singer of his caliber, but he is fortunate to open the piece with a superb aria accompanied by a magnificent chorus, and what a pleasure it was to hear him! A voice that goes on and on, endless notes, incredible charisma—my friends, what a delight!
Enea Scala lived up to all his promises. The poor fellow had two truly disastrous productions this year, including La Traviata in Geneva, which will remain the worst experience of my career (visually, the vocal cast was excellent). It was a real joy to see him on stage again, giving me chills during the aria “Me Protegge” from Act One. The love duets were equally perfectly executed; you really believe it. The Italian tenor uses his natural charm, and it works!
But the opera is called Norma, not Pollione. It was the first time I’d seen Sally Matthews on stage, whom I didn’t know yet, to be honest. And seeing someone sing Norma for the first time is a bit like introducing your parents to your partner for the first time—it’s either a hit or a miss, but it’s a risky gamble. No disappointment whatsoever. A magnificent singer who delivers a powerful and truly talented performance throughout the opera, although the staging doesn’t showcase her at all. In fact, her “Casta Diva” is hidden throughout the entire song, seven minutes with her team surrounding her—what a shame for the most moving moment of the whole piece! I’ll come back to the music later, but it was sometimes difficult to hear because it was so loud and lacking in nuance—a pity for bel canto…
An excellent performance, at least on par with Sally Matthews. Our strong and courageous Adalgisa was portrayed by Raffaella Lupinacci, a true Italian, and it shows on stage. I don’t know how to explain it, but our friends from Italy have a truly inexplicable connection with the libretto, with the story. Aside from her perfect Italian diction (of course), it was magnificent to see her, especially in the duets with Norma, where everything was perfectly timed!
A less sublime touch to the music; what a shame that George Petrou didn’t bring color and nuance to the Sicilian’s music, what a shame not to hear the singers, especially in the arias of revenge…
Lisa Willems & Alexander Marev complete the cast with two small but solid roles, the vocal lineup tonight definitely has nothing to envy from the greatest singers of today, however the staging will remain in the history of my history, easily taking a place in the top 3 of the worst things I have seen, not of this year, but of my entire career.
While waiting for my next Norma in Parma on February 20th, it’s with a heart full of memories (and a belly full of beer) that I return home, ready to leave next Friday for a busy weekend: Ernani in Verona, The Barber of Seville in Bologna, and finally, an epic Stiffelio in my favorite theater, Piacenza. That’s why we travel, to create memories, because I think that in the end, that’s the only thing we take with us.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CAST
Direction musicale – GEORGE PETROU
Mise en scène & costumes – CHRISTOPHE COPPENS
Pollione – ENEA SCALA
Oroveso – ALEXANDER VINOGRADOV
Norma – SALLY MATTHEWS
Adalgisa – RAFFAELLA LUPINACCI
Clotilde – LISA WILLEMS
Flavio – ALEXANDER MAREV
