A ‘Rule’ away from Asterix and Obelix. That is to say, from the Gaul of the druids occupied by the Romans: that is what the impressive production that the stage director signed for London proposes Alex Olle and that has finally been seen in the high school. The Catalan artist updates the narrative by transporting it to the present, and hits the nail on the head. Although the inconsistencies in the script are evident in some of the sentences, everything works like clockwork, since the most important thing for understanding the plot is that in this proposal the priestess continues to do the same and the background also prevails. religious and militarized.
The colossal scenography by Alfons Flores strikes the conscience of the public –a part of which loudly protested at the end– due to the proximity of the symbols used, whose 1,200 crucifixes renew the sacred forest of the Gauls, masterfully illuminated by Marco Filipeck. Ollé strengthens the political and religious conflict of the work of Bellini and Romani with a protagonist transformed into a sectarian religious leader, a popess dressed wisely by Lluc Castells. The symbols create very strong images, botafumeiro included, but not everything is an anti-totalitarian allegation, because Ollé also sensitively draws the love triangle that sustains the drama with splendid scenes, such as the duet “Oh! Rimembranza” in a confessional or with Norma preparing the Dexter-style murder of their children.
The Cor del Liceu who drives Pablo Asante played very well the fundamental role assigned to him by the composer and the ‘regista’, while that Sunday Hindoyanthe husband of Sonya Yoncheva –who will direct his wife in four performances of this ‘Norm’ starting on Friday–, was complicit with the interpreters; ‘bel canto’ requires working in unison to control breathing and facilitate correct phrasing and ‘legato singing’, and there was. The Venezuelan maestro also controlled pit-stage coherence almost at all times before a Liceu Symphony who knows the score intimately.
Magic moments
Norma de Marina Rebeka has it all. The Latvian soprano is able to sustain the immense and tiresome character at the top thanks to an enormous physical strength and an admirable technique. Her exquisite phrasing and her particular agilities were served by a theatrical use of the regulators creating magical moments. His has been one of the great debuts of the season.
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He also managed to fully convince the Adalgisa of the mezzo Varduhi Abrahamyana pure belcantista already known by high school students with extensive experience in the style who put her best to create a young novice with character, with a beautiful and well-projected voice.
The Pollione by Riccardo Massi joined with a willful, heroic and expressive song, better in the treble than in the coloratura. The convalescent seconded the triangle Oroveso by Nicolas Testé –short for ‘fiato’ and projection– and the correct ones Núria Vilà and Néstor Losán as Clotilde and Flavio. A full Liceu for an end of course with a note.