Sonya Yoncheva's Norma scorches Covent Garden

By Mark Pullinger, 13 September 2016

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“the verbal assaults on Pollione... unleashed like a snarling tigress”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 12 September 2016

Bellini, Norma

The Royal Opera

Sir Antonio Pappano, Conductor

Àlex Ollé, Director

Alfons Flores, Set Designer

Lluc Castells, Costume Designer

Sonya Yoncheva, Norma

Sonia Ganassi, Adalgisa

Joseph Calleja, Pollione

Brindley Sherratt, Oroveso

Vlada Borovko, Clotilde

David Junghoon Kim, Flavio

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Burning like fire: Sonya Yoncheva's Norma scorches Covent Garden