Since its first edition in 1975 – as explained in our previous article – the Festival della Valle d’Itria has charted a unique course in the musical landscape of opera and bel canto, characterized by innovative artistic choices aimed at the rediscovery not so much of rarity, but of interpretations that could be faithful to their original editions. This unconventional spirit materialized in the third edition of the Festival with the staging of Bellini’s “Norma.”
In 1977, under the artistic vision of Alessandro Caroli and with the contribution of then-artistic consultant Rodolfo Celletti, an unprecedented choice was made, destined to go down in history. The Norma presented by the Festival della Valle d’Itria reinstated the original roles, restoring the vocal relationship between the protagonist, the priestess Norma, and the handmaiden Adalgisa as conceived by the composer for the premiere at La Scala in 1831.
The first step towards rediscovering Bellini’s score involved reinstating a soprano in the role of the young novice Adalgisa and assigning a darker voice to Norma. Bellini originally wrote both parts for two sopranos, Giuditta Pasta and Giulia Grisi; only later was Adalgisa performed by mezzo-sopranos. Almost two and a half centuries later, the Festival della Valle d’Itria reversed the vocal timbres, restoring the appropriate voices to the characters: Norma as a resolute woman and Adalgisa as a young virgin.
The recovery of the ancient practice and the correct bel canto style also required finding modern voices capable of fitting the parts written for the divas of the nineteenth century. For the role of the protagonist, Grace Bumbry, an internationally renowned mezzo-soprano with a dark and sharp timbre, similar to that of Giuditta Pasta, was chosen. For the role of Adalgisa, Celletti identified the pure lyric soprano voice of Cuberli, with a clear color, thus ensuring a correct vocal contrast between the two protagonists.
The decision attracted everyone’s attention, especially that of music critics, and the Festival was in the spotlight. Directed by Francesca Siciliani, the opera premiered on August 12, 1977, achieving great success. A year later, La Stampa described the event as “one of the most significant episodes experienced by our opera house in the last decade.”
After forty-seven years, this year Bellini’s Norma returns to the program to open the fiftieth edition of the Festival della Valle d’Itria, just as in the historic 1977 edition that made it famous worldwide.