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Wagner: Lohengrin / Abbado, Domingo, Lloyd, Studer

Wagner / Domingo / Studer / Vejzovic / Welker
Release Date: 06/26/2012 
Label:  Arthaus Musik   Catalog #: 100957  
Composer:  Richard Wagner
Performer:  Georg Tichy,  Cheryl Studer,  Placido Domingo,  Hartmut Welker,   ... 
Conductor:  Claudio Abbado
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vienna State Opera Orchestra
Number of Discs: 1 
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Notes and Editorial Reviews

RICHARD WAGNER: Lohengrin

Live Recording From The Wiener Staatsoper, 1990

Lohengrin PLÁCIDO DOMINGO
Heinrich der Vogler ROBERT LLOYD
Elsa CHERYL STUDER
Ortrud DUNJA VEJZOVIC
Telramund HARTMUT WELKER
Der Heerrufer des Königs GEORG TICHY


WIENER STAATSOPER / CLAUDIO ABBADO

Stage Directed by WOLFGANG WEBER
Set Design by RUDOLF and REINHARD HEINRICH

Wagner set the action of his "romantic opera" Lohengrin in the "first half of the 10th century" - an instruction which director Wolfgang Weber and his stage designers Rudolf and Reinhard Heinrich clearly took very seriously when they produced it Read more at the Vienna State Opera in 1990. We do indeed experience the early, gloomy Middle Ages: muted colours, dark clouds, barren landscapes and simple shapes dominate the scene. Weber's simplicity succeeds in evoking clear symbolism; his staging does not impress by means of the spectacular, but underlines the dramatic sense embodied in the music, allowing the outstanding singers full scope to express themselves in this remarkable production under Claudio Abbado. The main roles are taken by Cheryl Studer as Elsa, and Plácido Domingo as Lohengrin - which he first performed as his debut role at the Hamburg State Opera in 1968, at the age of 27.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo
Picture Format: 4:3
DVD Format: 1 DVD NTSC
Subtitle Languages: German (Original Language), England, French, Italian, Spanish
Running Time: 219 mins
Region Code: 0 (All region)

R E V I E W S:

Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner; for those who might confuse it with something else! The story comes straight out of medieval German romance, particularly Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by someone else but itself inspired by the twelfth-century epic, Garin le Loherain. It is part of the ‘Swan Knight’ tradition. For those who have never heard the name of this opera the most instantly recognizable part is the ‘Bridal Chorus’, better known as Here Comes the Bride and frequently played at weddings in the West.
 
According to Wagner we are in Antwerp, on the Scheldt in the first half of the 10th century. For their uber-traditional 1990 production at the Vienna State Opera, Wolfgang Weber and his stage designers Rudolf and Reinhard Heinrich took this stage instruction very seriously indeed. The stage pictures seemingly come straight off the walls of King Ludwig’s fantasy castle, Neuschwanstein. There is an extraordinarily old-fashioned - it is only just over 20 years ago after all! - look to the heavy costumes and the three-dimensional sets. It could be the look of a Lohengrin from anytime from 1850 onwards. We are clearly in the Middle Ages and it is all very gloomy, with mostly muted colours and dark backdrops. Elsa is swathed like a novitiate from a convent. Lohengrin appears against a large swan silhouette in white and a hint of shiny armour, clutching his almost ever-present sword.
 
There is very little stage direction or acting and the principals just stand around and do their best. This all makes for some considerable longueurs that the odd moments of dramatic conviction from the singers fail to alleviate. It is not helped by the rather static camerawork and too many close-ups. The most believable acting comes from Plácido Domingo as Lohengrin. This was his debut role at Hamburg State Opera in 1968 when he was just 27 (according to his official age). In Act III he can actually summon up genuine tenderness towards Elsa and real tears when she betrays him. His diction is OK but whether it often is proper German is doubtful. If you were unfamiliar with what he should be singing it probably will not matter. His performance convinces with its burnished heroism, though he lacks the ability to rein in his attack for the more visionary quieter moments.
 
Cheryl Studer is a vocally affecting and secure Elsa, but she has a much heavier, more Italianate, voice than would be cast in 2012. She is however a rather passive presence on stage, though Dunja Vejzovic is much worse as Ortrud. She looks as though someone forgot to tell her it was not a concert performance … throwing a right arm out from time-to-time isn’t good enough now, and should not have been in 1990. Another singer totally lacking in charisma is Robert Lloyd as King Henry who looks and sounds a little bored with what is going on around him - matching the emotions of those watching this DVD! Georg Tichy is a sturdy Herald and Harmut Welker growls away whilst typically ‘chewing the scenery’ as Telramund.
 
This is a re-release - with no bonus material - of this broadcast that first came out on DVD about 10 years ago and there does not appear to have been any re-mastering of pictures or sound and both are showing their age … despite it being only twenty+ years ago. This all tends to occlude the contribution of a fine chorus.
 
The best recommendation for this Lohengrin is as the antidote - for Wagner traditionalists - to the rat-infested Hans Neuenfels’s 2010 Bayreuth production that has recently come out on Opus Arte DVD for the first time. Another selling point is the presence of Claudio Abbado, at that time music director of Vienna State Opera, conducting the members of the Vienna Philharmonic that play for the opera. There is a transparent beauty through all the acts and he is supportive of all his singers, giving them time to breathe - something that doesn’t always happen in these more modern times. That said, for all its wonderful detail a little more intensity and forward momentum at critical times would not have gone amiss. However I suspect it sounded glorious in the theatre and enough of that remains on this release - from singers and orchestra - to add it to your collection if you do not already have a version of it.
 
-- Jim Pritchard , MusicWeb International

"Originally released by Image Entertainment, this excellent production of Lohengrin is now being rereleased by Arthaus. It is, far and away, the best version of the opera on DVD—indeed, so far the only one worth having in that medium. The sets and costumes are what might be described as “minimalist traditionalism”; that is to say, the sets and costumes evoke the original setting of the opera (10th-century Flanders), but have an abstract sparseness that reflects the influential aesthetic of Bayreuth in the early post-World War II era. If one might ideally wish for something a bit more regal and ornate, it generally works well and avoids the risibility of late Victorian excess. In act I, a gray backdrop and set of nested rectangular frames succeed in suggesting a distant horizon with fog and lowering clouds. Act II has a starkly monumental palace and fortress shrouded in darkness, while the bridal-chamber scene in act II has a simple royal blue backdrop. Props are minimal but effective; for the arrival of the swan, an image of an abstract swan symbol is projected in the background; the stage goes momentarily dark, and then Lohengrin appears, standing before a huge silver metal swan. At the end of act III the metal swan reappears, and then vanishes as Lohengrin leads in the young Godfrey, restored to human form. Admittedly, the acting is extremely stiff and consists entirely of stock gestures; the act I sword fight between Lohengrin and Telramund consists of three symbolic feints in which the swords do not even make contact. However, such woodenness is infinitely preferable to the perversions, however lively, of present-day Regietheater.

The singing is generally quite good, if not equal to the best versions on CD. Plácido Domingo is clearly the star and in excellent form; until the recent emergence of Jonas Kaufmann, only Sándor Kónya among post-World War II singers could rival him in this role. Cheryl Studer is a solid if not sublime Elsa; her soft singing does not have the ecstatic radiance of an Elisabeth Grümmer or Eleanor Steber, but her voice is always secure and she does quite well by her passionate outburst in the bridal-chamber scene. Harmut Welker is likewise a sturdy Telramund; his voice is a bit on the dry side and sometimes he tends to bark a bit, but that goes well enough with his villainous role. Dunja Vejzovic is a haughty Ortrud, somewhat detached in demeanor; vocally she is effective, though some of her high notes show signs of strain. Robert Lloyd is a predictably magnificent King Heinrich, and Georg Tichy is such a fine Herald that one would gladly have him and Welker swap roles. I am generally not a big fan of Claudio Abbado; I greatly respect his superb technical command of any score, but too often he comes off as overly cool and analytical. Here, however, with the lustrous sound of the Vienna Philharmonic at his disposal, he produces a warmer performance than usual, assured and well proportioned, if lacking the visceral excitement that Eugen Jochum could draw from these pages. The video and sound quality are eminently satisfactory."

FANFARE: James A. Altena Read less

Works on This Recording

1. Lohengrin by Richard Wagner
Performer:  Georg Tichy (Baritone), Cheryl Studer (Soprano), Placido Domingo (Tenor),
Hartmut Welker (Baritone), Dunja Vejzovic (Soprano), Robert Lloyd (Bass)
Conductor:  Claudio Abbado
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vienna State Opera Orchestra
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1846-1847; Germany 

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