Swenson was in marvelous form opening night, such an instantly galvanizing presence that the audience applauded her opening, extended recitative (Adalgisa doesn't get a full-fledged aria in this opera). The tone was creamy, the intonation spot-on, the phrasing full of import.
The soprano ensured that every word registered meaningfully. In Act 1, for example, during the scene where Adalgisa innocently describes to Norma the man she has fallen in love with, Swenson's melting phrases captured the character's lyrical heart to extraordinary effect. There was much deftly colored vocalism as well in the famous Mira, a Norma duet of Act 2.
Whenever Swenson was onstage, it was simply impossible to take one's ears off of her. A very classy performance.
Frank Porretta also commanded attention as Pollione. The tenor produced a huge sound that easily filled the voice-friendly acoustic of the theater. Nuance didn't come as easily to him as volume, but no matter. The weight of the vocalism, and the incisive thrust of Porretta's phrasing, hit the spot.
As Oroveso, Norma's father and Druid elder, Hao Jiang Tian sang with admirable smoothness and solidity of tone and molded his phrases eloquently. Nicole Biondo sounded effortful as Norma's confidant, Clotilde, but she had her emotional effectiveness. Farrar Strum delivered his few lines as Flavio in a warm, clear, dynamic tenor. Chorus and orchestra met their musical challenges with mostly potent, cohesive results.
The conductor, Christian Badea, took generally spacious tempos that allowed the opera's most poetic tunes to blossom, but he also fired up the opera's few agitated passages forcefully. His belief in the value of the score could be felt at every turn. I only wish he had honored an old tradition of varying the tempo during the animated Si, fino all'ore portion of the Act 2 Norma/Adalgisa duet; that sort of rhythmic fluctuation was once a valued characteristic of bel canto style.
The production, with scenic design by Roberto Oswald and costumes by Anibal Lapiz, is mostly an understated study in black and white (Norma's donning of a blood-red cape for the finale provides a welcome jolt). Benjamin Pearcy's subtle lighting enhanced the minimal surroundings considerably.
