Opera Review: Under the Serious Moonlight

Norma at the Metropolitan Opera. 
by Paul J. Pelkonen

The disco 'round: Sondra Radvanovsky enters in Act I of Norma.
Photo by Marty Sohl © 2013 The Metropolitan Opera

The American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky has risen to prominence on the international stage in the last decade, with a combination of genuine acting ability and a steel-cored lyric soprano that can glide between passages of soft dolce singing and the white-hot rage required of a tragic opera heroine. All of these admirable qualities were on display Monday night, as Ms. Radvanovsky sang her first Norma at the Met. This was the first revival of the Bellini opera in six years, and another step toward superstardom for this talented American soprano.