Female power takes stage in ‘Norma’ at Boston Lyric Opera

Celina Colby

Celina Colby is an arts and travel reporter with a fondness for Russian novels.... VIEW BIO

Powerful bass-baritone singer Alfred Walker returns to the Boston Lyric Opera as Oroveso in “Norma,” running March 13 through 22. Written in 1831 by famed composer Vincenzo Bellini, the powerful show about love and female power strikes a resonant chord in the ongoing fight for gender equality.

“Norma” tells the tale of a druid priestess (played by Elena Stikhina, who dazzled as “Tosca” in the BLO’s 2017 production) whose people are ruled by the Romans, a dark fate for the nature-loving clan. When Norma falls for a Roman lover, she’s torn between her passion for him and her allegiance to her people. Her father Oroveso must walk a delicate balance in dealing with the unraveling situation. Norma is his daughter, and therefore he should have some control in the dynamic, but she’s also the only clan member with a direct connection to the gods, so she’s really the one with all the power.

“I’m the druid king, but the real power is Norma. She runs and rules everything,” Walker tells the Banner. “It’s so interesting that we could possibly have a female president. In this opera the women are very prominent, very powerful.”

In his last appearance at the BLO, Walker played the Dutchman in “The Flying Dutchman,” to high acclaim. Though this is a much smaller role, he says he’s been delighted to perform the bel canto score and fascinated with the way director Stephanie Havey and costume designer Charles Neumann have developed the druid culture.

“They’re really close to the earth, they’re really concentrated on the moon and the sun and the earth in general,” says Walker. “We’re doing all kinds of ancient movements as the warriors, and we’re very stylized. It’s something that you won’t see a lot as a fully staged opera.”

These movements are another innovation particular to the BLO production. Walker describes “Norma” as often falling into the “stand and sing” style of opera, but this production incorporates much more acting and many more physical movements to enhance the dramatic narrative. The orchestra will also be on stage, an unconventional twist that the BLO has employed in the past for added power.

Walker hopes the production dazzles with its quality and empowers with its depiction of a woman in charge. “Women are powerful too. They’re our equal in every way,” says Walker. “The audience will come come away having experienced a real story, a real drama, with very good acting and exceptional singing.”