Somewhat comparable to the role of Verdi's Otello for the heroic tenor, the part of Bellini's Norma also holds a special place for the dramatic soprano. It certainly did for diva Maria Callas who delivered it on no fewer than 92 occasions throughout her career. She also recorded it twice; and it is the earlier of those two versions, made in Milan in the spring of 1954, which is presented here in a pristine digital remastering reissued in 1997. Unquestionably the imperious Callas is at her prime, negotiating the fiendish upper registers both with effortless legato and immense power. Yet underlying the bravura vocal pyrotechnics there emerges a cogent and ultimately deeply tragic dramatic reading, with the events of the opera's climax leading to Norma's self-immolation especially spine-tinglingly rendered. Superb though Callas is, the opera is by no means a one-woman show and sterling support comes from a resonant Mario Filippeschi as Pollione, as well as from Ebe Stignani, expertly phrasing and pitching Adalgisa. More than adequate too, especially for its vintage, is the taut orchestral underlay provided by Serafin in charge of an on-form La Scala orchestra. With state of the art remastering to the fore, this set certainly doesn't sound it's age. If you just want one complete opera featuring Callas at her peak, this Norma is surely it. --Duncan Hadfield