Customer Reviews

Lohengrin

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Rudolf Kempe was a great Wagner and Strauss conductor, and it is great to have his Lohengrin on remastered CD with this great cast. In fact, this recording represents the collaboration of an historic dream team of the 60s and early 70s.

Although there are some excellent newer digital recordings with stellar artists, such as Solti's with Placido Domingo and Jessye Norman, and Abbado's with Siegfried Jerusalem and Cheryl Studer, this recording has many unique strengths which make it very desirable. I am very familiar with the Solti and Kempe recordings, both. I am less familiar with Abbado's - having heard it only once.

The Evil Ortrud and Friedrich
In particular, under Kempe, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Christa Ludwig, as the evil Friedrich and Ortrud, are absolutely incomparably superb in their characterizations of the conniving, malevolent couple. Others are "good", but no one comes even close to their portrayals, they are definitive. This recording would be important for that reason alone, but there are many other delights.

Vulnerable Elsa
Elizabeth Grummer is ideal as the sweet and insecure Elsa. Jessye Norman, who is Elsa on Solti's excellent recording, sounds wonderful, but her voice and personification are too big for the character. Grummer wonderfully conveys Elsa's vulnerability and self-doubt. This is a definitive Elsa.

Heroic Lohengrin
Jess Thomas, the American heldentenor, as Lohengrin was in great demand in live performances of the 60s. He lives the part, and is very characterful in pointing his words and conveying heroic strength and emotion. But he was also known for a heldentenor tendency to "barking". Nonetheless, Thomas gives one of his more commanding performances under Kempe in this recording. His rendition of "In Fernem Land" is particularly exciting. His main competition comes from Placido Domingo on the Solti recording, or Siegfried Jerusalem under Abbado. To my ear, Jerusalem has the same "barking" issues as Thomas. Domingo, however, is a revelation on the Solti recording. Although his accent comes through the German, his Lohengrin soars heroically, no barking or strain. It is a beautiful performance above all others. Still, there are moments where Thomas is preferable, as in "in Fernam Land", where he may not sound as beautiful as Domingo, but he nails the heroism better.

Conductors & Orchestras
As far as conductor competition, Solti represents another conductor internationally known for decades of superior Wagner/Strauss interpretations. Abbado may not be as well known for that, but they both conduct the same orchestra as Kempe- the Vienna Philharmonic. Solti and Abbado have modern digital sound, which means we hear everything at every dynamic. The Vienna Philharmonic are excellent on all counts. The brass especially pull out the stops for Solti. That recording always quickens my pulse in the Act 3 scene change with the brass players double- and triple-tonguing. Kempe was known for his flexibility in shaping phrases and building climaxes. I think in many places (the second scene of Act 3 as I mentioned and in Act 2 particularly) Solti does him one better, but Kempe captures the human drama of Lohengrin, and it is very gripping in his hands.

I highly recommend this remastered Kempe recording of Lohengrin by a great team. Although the recording is nearly 40 years old, it has many special qualities and provides some incredible unique Wagnerian operatic moments.

I also think the Solti recording is very special. I couldn't make up my mind between them, so I bought them both!

You should too!

This is Wagner's most popular opera at the Met. One listen to it and you will know why. The music is superb, and the theme ancient. Grummer is outstanding as Elsa, Thomas is OK as Lohengrin, and Fischer-Dieskau's power is self-evident. The orchestra and chorus are first-rate, and the interpretation is near-perfect. The most significant drawback is the sound quality: based on the old analog medium, the recording's dynamic range is poor and the sound is not up to par as other analog-to-digital remasterings. Nonetheless, this is a good CD.

Although I love Jess Thomas dearly, I cannot recommend this recording, for two reasons: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Christa Ludwig.

Fischer-Dieskau has no sense of his role. Friedrich von Telramund is supposed to be physically strong and brave (he smote the Dane), but not smart. DFD, as always, sounds weak, neurotic, and overrefined. He should have stuck with the role he was good at--the Herald. Christa Ludwig has a similar problem--she's a gorgeous lyric mezzo but vocally she's way too small. It shows most when she prays to the displaced pagan gods Wodan and Freija in Act II--that's supposed to be screamed, as big as Brunhilde, or bigger. Also, she has zero capacity for sounding evil. LOHNGRIN without convincing villians is as boring as oatmeal without raisins.

To hear the villians done properly, listen to one of the two recorded performances featuring Hermann Uhde as Telramund and Astrid Varnay as Ortrud, or, watch the video with Ekkehard Wlaschiha and Gabrielle Schnaut. (The video also features gorgeous, mellow-but-penetrating high baritone Eike-Wilm Schulte as the Herald.)