Angela Meade brings her ‘Norma’ to the Kennedy Center
March 7th, 2013
Washington Examiner | Soprano Angela Meade has sung the title role of Norma several times since her debut performance at the Caramoor Festival in 2010, but the Bellini opera opening in the Kennedy Center Opera House this week is her first staged production.
“Both the music and the character are so complex, and yet it suits me well because the music plays to my particular strengths,” she said. “Even though Norma is a druid, she is so human and so real that I can portray all her emotions, from rage to falling in love and even wanting to do away with the children she loves because she is being cheated on. The plot is like a Jerry Springer opera.
“When I discovered the aria Casta diva, I had no idea that it belongs to one of the most challenging roles in opera. It simply happened. I was looking for an aria that fit my voice when I discovered it and I knew nothing of the complications in the story. Since the music was perfect for me, I began taking it to competitions and winning. That convinced me I was on to something.