His staging kept many of the “park and bark” moments you’d expect from a traditional production of “Norma,” but when the characters moved, emotional and historical content bled through with energetic abandon.
Paule Constable’s lighting perfectly enhanced each set, weaving ambiance and realistic detail into Robert Jones’ work.ĭavid McVicar’s production was an intriguing mix of extreme stillness and highly-specific physicality. Norma’s home emerged from beneath the forest scene, all earth tones and furs. The trees drifted inward and outward between scenes, sometimes hemming in the characters and other times evoking a sense of endlessness.
His first forest set accurately portrayed the lifestyle of the druids and pulled the audience into the magic and mystery of Norma’s religion. Robert Jones’ sets garnered instant and well-deserved applause. McVicar’s message was loud and clear to the opera world: the operas themselves are masterworks that only require a skilled director to highlight their themes, elaborate concepts be damned. Those productions were met with mixed reviews, the critics often noting that their respective directors’ desires for innovation seemed a bit curtailed by an unwritten need to appeal to a more traditional audience.īut with his “Norma,” director David McVicar has shifted things toward a more classical approach in the visuals, though his directing of the actors added great depth to the understanding of the work. Over the past few seasons, the opening night productions have been all about experimentation with both “Tristan und Isolde (2016)” and “Otello (2015),” straying from the classical and traditional. More interesting was the question surrounding the actual production of the famed Bel Canto opera, the Met’s artistic images always in flux and its opening night choices often setting the tone for most of the season. Interestingly, this very production of “Norma” was the result of massive behind-the-scenes cancellations, with superstar soprano Anna Netrebko withdrawing from a previous commitment to take on the famed role of “Norma.” The house was abuzz from the very start: patrons chattering in excitement even after the lights went down.Ĭancellations have been a theme of the summer for the company, with major cast changes shifting attention away from what is usually one of opera’s biggest nights all around the world. The Metropolitan Opera launched its 2017-18 season with its usual flash and sparkle, ushering celebrities onto the red carpet for their turn at the step and repeat as droves of opera fans in their black tie best bustled under the crystal chandeliers.
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