Search Results for: Angela Meade
Angela Meade on Norma
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WnPpQdshQI
Soprano Angela Meade, who made her LA Opera debut in 2012 as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, returns as Bellini’s Norma, a role that catapulted her to prominence when she first performed it in concert at the Caramoor International Music Festival in 2010. She has subsequently performed in productions of Norma at the Metropolitan Opera and Washington National Opera. Shortly after rehearsals began in October, we sat down with her to get her take on this famously challenging role.
Angela Meade as the title character in Norma (2015); Photo: Ken Howard
Let’s talk about Norma. It’s a big, giant, iconic work.
Indeed. Let’s call it Mount Everest.
Many opera lovers associate Norma with Maria Callas and a whole host of other great singers.
I’ve listened to all of them and, of course, I find great inspiration in many of them. But I try to make it just Angela’s interpretation, rather than anybody else’s.
Between performances, auditions and competitions, how many times do you think you’ve sung the entrance aria, “Casta diva”?
A bajillion. I really don’t know! I did a total of about 60 competitions, and I probably sang it for all of them, and I’ve also sung it in concerts, private functions and other things, not to mention within the role itself and, of course, rehearsals for performing the role. I’m sure it’s well over 250 times, probably more than that. I should have kept a tally of it.
Many different types of singers have sung Norma.
It has ranged from lyric coloraturas to mezzos. It’s different for everybody, as it should be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WzPK0mVbe0
Angela Meade singing “Casta Diva” for the Giordani Foundation Gala in 2009
It seems like you weren’t intimidated by the role.
I guess I never gave it much thought. When I first started singing “Casta diva,” I didn’t realize the sort of implications that went along with singing the role. I think plenty of people around me did, but I thought it was a beautiful aria. Clearly, I was only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
Vocal Fireworks: Angela Meade on Singing Norma
A Night in the Life of Angela Meade
https://youtu.be/4WnPpQdshQI
What A Night in the Life of Angela Meade above
Seven Opera-Themed Halloween Costumes for 2017
This Halloween, don’t settle for a costume that’s stale or subpar. Using LA Opera as your inspiration, find the perfect get-up that’ll both wow the crowd and allow you to stand out!
La Belle et La Bête
Student’s Corner: Norma Opera Dreams
Elyse Johnson (right) and her mother, Julie Johnson, at a performance of Norma (2015)
Sitting in an uncomfortable, red chair, I check LA Opera 90012 participants in for the evening’s performance – Norma. Two fellow Ambassadors and I hand out tickets, but I find myself distracted. I glance at my phone and hope this will make the time go by faster. I’m anxious to see the show.
As soon as we’re dismissed, I seize my black purse and rush to my assigned seat in the theater. I love opera (can you tell?). But this time is different, because I know three of the ensemble members. Two were my teachers and the third is a very dear friend of mine. I can barely suppress the butterflies of excitement in my stomach. I’m thrilled to watch them.
As soon as Norma starts, I’m mesmerized. It’s such a special show. I search for the members I know and manage to pinpoint two of them. It’s at this moment that I start daydreaming, fantasizing about all the rehearsals that go into creating this production. I have been in several smaller opera productions, particularly at Opera Camp, so I have some idea how the process should do. It’s long, grueling, and wickedly fast-paced from the moment a singer receives the score up until the final dress rehearsal. Yet, those rehearsal experiences have been some of the happiest moments of my life. Watching Norma, I think about my own experiences interacting with other campers – teenagers who harbor the same affection I have towards opera – and creating a whole production. We sing together, eat together, and create together.
I find myself missing those days terribly.
Russell Thomas as Pollione and Angela Meade as the title character in Norma (2015); Photo: Ken Howard
Student’s Corner: LA Opera 90012 – 2015 Season Begins
Katie Lee, Marita Bos- Villalobos, Elizabeth Surman, and Antonia Sterns at LA 90012 2015 Orientation on October 27
Word is spreading among Los Angeles teens that opera is not what they think it is. The productions are not dusty and dull, but instead are gloriously alive – full of passionate drama that’s sure to entertain even the most skeptical audience member. When LA Opera 90012 kicked off the new season with an orientation this past October, the room was buzzing with anticipation.
Don’t know about LA 90012? It’s one of the coolest contests in town. Students in grades 7 – 12 are invited to enter a competition for the chance to win a mini subscription, for themselves and a chaperone, to see four operas, absolutely free. It’s a great program made possible by a donation by Fred Rheinstein, who knew how opera is a great way for teens and parents to connect. While Rheinstein passed away two years ago, we are so grateful for his contribution and his legacy lives on.
As a Student Ambassador, I arrived early to help set up for the orientation. Once everything was ready, we split up to do our different jobs. Along with my fellow Ambassador Marita Bos, I stood outside at the backstage entrance to welcome participants.
Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Norma
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6oGBJbok64
Norma is the go-to opera to hear what the masterful, operatic voice can do. Yet, there’s so much more to this show than the voices. There’s an interesting directorial vision thanks to Anne Bogart, a classic take on the bel canto movement, and cast members that truly define what it means to be a great opera singer. In case you’ve missed the Norma love these past few weeks, we’ve collected a bunch of articles and videos for you to check out and see why Norma is so captivating.
Get To Know Norma
The cast of Norma (2015); Photo: Ken Howard
Norma is more than just a love story. It’s also an opera about the cross between the political and the personal , all showcased in the title character’s struggles.
Norma is arguably Vincenzo Bellini’s masterpiece. It’s a vocal fireworks of an opera, where singers utilize every tactic in their vocal range to express the deepest of emotions: love. Director Anne Bogart and designer Neil Patel understand this implicitly. Their Norma is a version that removes the frippery, “the spectacle of the mis en scene” and in turn fuels the vocal energy at the core of Bellini’s storytelling.
Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma is arguably the ultimate girl power opera, with a fiery and dramatic plot that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. To help everyone get in an empowering mood, we’ve put together a list of our top 10 girl-power anthems for you to listen to until the opening night of Norma this Saturday. Here’s a list of 10 stellar girl power songs.
Drop The Mic: Norma’s A Vocal Fireworks Opera
As I write this, Angela Meade, Jamie Barton, and Russell Thomas are on-stage rehearsing a scene from our upcoming production of Bellini’s Norma. It’s the end of Act I and Norma (Meade) has just discovered the affair between the man she loves, Pollione (Thomas), and Adalgisa (Barton), a younger priestess. If you think the story’s dramatic, you should hear their voices! Unbelievable voices – let’s call them vocal fireworks because of their equally explosive and yet restrained nature – are at the center of Norma. It’s compelling to witness.
#WordWednesday: Cavatina
Angela Meade as the title character in Norma (2015); Photo: Ken Howard
CAVATINA (13 Scrabble Points) – Italian – Cavatina is a short operatic aria in simple style without repeated sections. Norma’s famous aria “Casta diva” is a classic example of this. Short and simplistic or long and melodic, Norma’s incredible cast will surely blow you away.
Can’t get enough of Norma? We’ve collected some articles to get you in the druid spirit below.
Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma is arguably the ultimate girl power opera, with a fiery and dramatic plot that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. To help everyone get in an empowering mood, we’ve put together a list of our top 10 girl-power anthems for you to listen to until the opening night of Norma this Saturday. Here’s a list of 10 stellar girl power songs.
Directing Norma
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6oGBJbok64
“My dream is to become a little old lady opera director.”
– Anne Bogart
Norma is arguably Vincenzo Bellini’s masterpiece. It’s a vocal fireworks of an opera, where singers utilize every tactic in their vocal range to express the deepest of emotions: love. Director Anne Bogart and designer Neil Patel understand this implicitly. Their Norma is a version that removes the frippery, “the spectacle of the mis en scene” and in turn fuels the vocal energy at the core of Bellini’s storytelling.
This is a style of theater that Bogart advocates as the Co-Artistic Director of the famed New York theater institution, SITI Company, which she founded with Japanese director Tadashi Suzuki in 1992.
In Norma, Bogart brings her minimalist vision and unique acting technique to the operatic world. It’s a medium that serves Bogart’s vision well. She believes that “the kernel at the heart of the theatrical experience is terror,” but in theater the struggle is “how do we create a moment that creates that ancient terror while also having some restraint?”
Norma’s Girl Power Playlist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WnPpQdshQI
Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma is arguably the ultimate girl power opera, with a fiery and dramatic plot that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Norma tells the story of Druid High Priestess Norma (Angela Meade), who loves and has two children with her greatest enemy – Pollione (Russell Thomas), the leader of an occupying Roman army. It turns out that Pollione’s affections have shifted to a younger priestess named Adalgisa (Jamie Barton).
I know what you’re thinking – what’s so girl power about that? Well, after discovering that they both love the same man, Norma and Adalgisa put their differences aside, team up, and set out to unravel their tangled situation before their Druid tribesman revolt and declare war against the Romans.
Norma; Photo: Craig T. Mathew
To help everyone get in an empowering mood, we’ve put together a list of our top 10 girl-power anthems for you to listen to until the opening night of Norma this Saturday. Here’s a list of 10 stellar girl power songs.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Pat Benatar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JRgHol94Xc
Respect – Aretha Franklin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0POmdK18WU
Fighter – Cristina Aguilera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PstrAfoMKlc
Girl On Fire – Alicia Keyes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J91ti_MpdHA
I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBR2G-iI3-I
Drop The Mic: Norma’s A Vocal Fireworks Opera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WnPpQdshQI
As I write this, Angela Meade, Jamie Barton, and Russell Thomas are on-stage rehearsing a scene from our upcoming production of Bellini’s Norma. It’s the end of Act I and Norma (Meade) has just discovered the affair between the man she loves, Pollione (Thomas), and Adalgisa (Barton), a younger priestess. If you think the story’s dramatic, you should hear their voices! Unbelievable voices – let’s call them vocal fireworks because of their equally explosive and yet restrained nature – are at the center of Norma. It’s compelling to witness.
Why?
Angela Meade as the title character in Norma (2015); Photo Credit: Ken Howard
You can literally feel their voices vibrate through the space, giving you goosebumps. It’s a heroic vocal energy that only opera singers possess and share with the world. While Norma is known as an opera lover’s opera, for the opera novice it showcases the beauty of the operatic voice. It reminds you that this art form is built on its power, and this cast’s voices are beyond. The combination of Meade’s soprano, Barton’s mezzo-soprano, and Thomas’ tenor voices surround you lovingly throughout this bel canto opera (learn more about bel canto here).
As I was reminded during last week’s Piano Dress Rehearsal, opera singers aren’t amplified. In other words, there are no microphones like you’d find at a rock concert. It’s these powerful voices that are blowing the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion roof off. (Oh, and it’s not an El Niño either…I checked.)
Check out this short clip of Angela Meade discussing how demanding Norma is vocally:
https://youtu.be/dYRyWwiuTG4
Let’s Talk Bel Canto Baby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVdSSWB5-Nk
Lucia di Lammermoor. The Elixir of Love. Norma. What’s one major thing these masterpiece operas have in common? They are all part of the “bel canto” tradition of early 19th-century Italian opera. “Bel canto” directly translates into “beautiful singing,” but the movement is so much more than the beautiful arias that define it.
Norma; Photo: Ken Howard
The titans of bel canto – Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti and Gioachino Rossini – composed music that requires performers to have a number of vocal skills at their command: full, rich and even vocal tone; smooth, fluid musical phrasing; and tremendous vocal agility (the ability to sing a lot of fast-moving notes in a single phrase). These abilities come more naturally to some singers than to others, but even for those gifted singers who were born for bel canto, it still takes a lot of hard work in the rehearsal room to make it sound effortless. The words we use to describe bel canto may sound like gibberish if you don’t study voice, but I can promise you that the difference is quite clear. Check out Maria Callas performing “Casta diva” from Norma below and then contrast it with a non-bel canto piece: Birgit Nilsson singing “Allein, weh ganz, allein” (an early 20th-century German aria with vastly different vocal challenges) from Richard Strauss’s Elektra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aFaEkvwO2w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsNAWbslCGo
Still hungry for more information on bel canto? We’ve collected some great reference material to give you a taste of the bel canto movement below, including our top 5 bel canto operas to know.
Bel Canto: Audiences Love It, but What Is It? – via The New York Times
New York Times Chief Music Critic Anthony Tommasini discusses the history of the bel canto we know and love.
Talk Like an Opera Geek: Savoring The Bel Canto Sound – via NPR Music
It’s easy for opera fans to toss around the term “bel canto.” It’s much harder to actually define it. Literally, bel canto means “beautiful singing” in Italian, but it’s so open-ended that it’s come to mean anything from the lyrical trend in Roman cantatas from the 1640s to any particularly lovely snippet of vocalizing from any era. And then there’s the inverse of bel canto — “can belto” — a handy put-down to be flung at any singer who just stands and barks.
7 Questions with Jamie Barton
Jamie Barton as Adalgisa in Norma (2015); Photo: Ken Howard
One of the most celebrated artists of her generation, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton has burst into the international spotlight after a string of successes. She makes her LA Opera debut as Adalgisa, a role she has previously performed at the Metropolitan Opera (opposite the Norma of Angela Meade) and at San Francisco Opera (with Russell Thomas as Pollione). Here’s our Jamie Barton edition of questions.
You have won some huge awards and were named the 2013 Cardiff Singer of the World. Is it possible to say what that experience did for your career?
The Cardiff has completely changed my life! I talked to the BBC about it in June.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkO9ZnsYHyk&feature=youtu.be
Music Monday: Norma’s “Casta diva”
Angela Meade as the title character in Norma (2015); Photo: Ken Howard
“Casta diva” from Bellini’s Norma is one of the most recognizable soprano arias, found in pop culture from many soundtrack appearances (Mildred Pierce, anyone?) and legendary renditions by the likes of Maria Callas (see below), Joan Sutherland, and Beverly Sills. Norma takes place on a Druid temple mountaintop during the Roman occupation of Gaul. It follows the heartbreak of Druid priestess Norma, who unbeknownst to her followers, fell in love and has two children with Pollione, the leader of the Roman forces. The Druids call for her to declare war on the Romans. Yet, Norma does not want to destroy the man she loves. During “Casta diva,” she prays to the Goddess for peace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rjGwS20V94
Norma by the Numbers
Our upcoming production, Norma is a phenomenal production that displays Angela Meade’s and Jamie Barton’s electric vocals. But Norma is a huge production in more ways than voice. There are some rather impressive and interesting numbers to note that an opera goer might not think about during the show.
Angela Meade as the title character in Norma at Washington National Opera (2013)
Before opera fans even see the show, a crew of 46 people helped load in the set.
The giant set includes a unique assortment of props, perhaps the most notable being 1 giant full moon.
Let’s talk about costumes for a second. Norma’s bronze and elaborately beaded bodice alone required 18 hours for a very talented seamstress to assemble.
The story of Norma features 2 fiery divas, not battling out for the love of one man, but instead joining forces in this ultimate girl power opera. The show features a total of 6 principal artists, 43 chorus members, 12 adult supers, 2 child supers and 7 dancers.
Norma opens November 21st and runs through December 13th. Be sure to grab tickets to the performance that the New York Times states is an opera “that every opera lover should hear.” Keep an eye out for the giant moon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS_WAH-zVqE
Placido Domingo Announces LA Opera’s 2015/2016 Season
Plácido Domingo has announced LA Opera’s 2015/16 season, which is dedicated to you, the audience, and our community! This exciting 30th Anniversary Season is filled with audience favorites, with plenty of LA Opera flair thrown in for good measure. The season … Continue reading