The problems with this performance are both relatively minor and more serious than some of the other reviews suggest. There are several incidents in the Norma/Adalgisa duets, suggesting a basic lack of coordination between the singers (who probably should have rehearsed together more). Without a score, it is sometimes difficult to pinpoint which of the two is responsible, but my impression is that they both make mistakes and/or misjudge the other's intentions at various points. None of this is, in and of itself, enough to derail the performance, but I certainly understand the audience's irritation, and I would probably have shared it to some extent had I been present (the loud applause after Oroveso's finely sung "Ah! del Tebro il giogo indegno" is clearly meant to make a point). In addition, Souliotis's singing is not problem-free in the solo sections; she goes noticeably flat at the end of "Casta Diva," and she misses a couple of high notes in the cabaletta. Does this spoil the recording? My honest answer is No, it doesn't. It is an exciting, vivid performance, Souliotis offers a vibrant and deeply personal reading of the role, and the rest of the cast is excellent. The occasional glitches are par for the course in a live recording (I have heard far worse in the theatre!), and if you want a note-perfect rendition of the score, there are plenty of wonderful studio recordings that offer just that. As a document of an thrilling night at the opera, with much of the drama occurring off stage, this one is unique, and there is much to enjoy here.

A lot of nonsense has been written about this performance; most of it isn't true or was greatly exaggerated. This was, in fact, an excellent performance, a few rough moments (and they are only moments) notwithstanding. Souliotis was all of 24, greatly hyped by her record company Decca, and singing the most challenging role in the bel canto repertoire. She sings the "Casta diva" scena extremely well and joins her colleague Nancy Tatum for exciting accounts of the big duets. In fact, Act One goes off without a hitch: Souliotis crowns the finale with a high D and the audience went happily off to intermission. I think the sore point is the end of "Mira, O Norma", sung a tone higher in the original key of F (probably because Tatum was a soprano). On the final penultimate C she is joined by Tatum who ends up holding the note just a bit longer. Some oafs in the audience take this as their cue to start booing. On the next track we hear a female audience member say "I guess she decided not to continue because she got booed!" Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and Souliotis came back out to finish the show and sang very well indeed.Tatum sings all of Adalgisa's high notes, Cecchele is a strong Pollione (he sings the top C in his aria), and Roni is a superb Oroveso. Cillario leads with distinction. The sound is excellent though a few snippets are missing probably because the tape had to be turned over.It's not Souliotis' fault some in the audience behaved badly that night.

Elena Souliotis has been a mostly discussed lyrical artist nearly since she entered the opera stage at the age of 16.Here she is documented as Norma, a part she made her own, but the voice was suffering of that decision ...In this Concert she is in good form, but the public was very critical and booed her, so she wanted to walk out.It is said, that Maria Callas, who was present in the public, spoke to her in the dressing room during the interval, encouraging her to go back and sing, which she finally did.Nancy Tatum is a very strong Adalgisa. Cecchele a virile Pollione.The sound is good!

Part of the adventure of listening to Elena Souliotis is that she sounds like she might go flying off the rails at any time. In this Carnegie Hall performance it finally happens - not in a big way - but enough to offend some NYC cognoscenti. The rest is history. Excellent sound.

Love it