Customer Reviews

Wagner: Lohengrin

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

_Lohengrin_ has been lucky on disk, with at least two great performances: the second Kempe and the Solti. I'm told the Abbado set is also in that front rank. There are also interesting _Lohengrin_'s, like Keilberth's set with Windgassen and the best Elsa in Eleanor Steber, or the 1955 Jochum set with the young Windgassen again, also Birgit Nilsson, Gerhard Stolze, Fischer-Dieskau and other stars early in their careers.

And then there are two sets that are special: the Leinsdorf and the recent Barenboim. Unfortunately it's not the performances that are special; neither is in the first rank of _Lohengrin_'s, and so people who want to own just one _Lohengrin_ would be best to start with Kempe or Solti or, apparently, the Abbado.

The Leinsdorf and Barenboim sets are special because they are the only truly complete sets. Just before the first performance of _Lohengrin_, Wagner wrote to Liszt, who was to conduct, to suggest that the second part of Lohengrin's famous Grail Narration ("In fernem Land") be cut. Wagner was influenced by doubts about the tenor who was to sing the name part. Since then the cut has been observed in almost all performances, and all recordings except these two.

What you lose with the cut is some wonderful music, a longer stay in the mysterious realm of the Grail. As you'd expect with Wagner the second part of the Narration is not a musical repeat of the first; it strikes out anew to provide a satisfying balance and conclusion. Wagner managed to convince himself that the cut would benefit the performance because the full Narration would delay the climax of the plot. But tastes and audiences have changed since that first performance, and it's time that complete performances became the norm. Dramatically you gain greater impact as Lohengrin's on-stage audience (and Wagner's audience, in the theatre) have more time to absorb the marvels they were living amongst, then have to confront the tragic reality that they have lost them, forever.

Barenboim and Leinsdorf both restore this cut. When I decided I just had to have a truly complete _Lohengrin_ I listened carefully to both. Neither set is in the very front rank, though as standards for this opera are high they are nevertheless both fine performances. I expected to prefer the Baremboim, with its better-known cast, his greater current reputation as a Wagnerian conductor, and modern sound. But after a couple of very pleasant hours listening, comparing notes, I bought the Leinsdorf.

The main reason is the Lohengrin of Sandor Kolya. It's a mystery that this wonderful tenor didn't become an international recording star, instead remaining a well-regarded live performer with many of his finest roles never preserved, or at best caught in live recordings never intended for release. But this is the ideal Lohengrin, heroic and otherworldly, better than Thomas, Domingo, Windgassen, and certainly greater than Peter Seiffert's slightly breathy performance of the title role for Barenboim.

The Elsas let down both of these sets, though Lucine Amara for Leinsdorf is perhaps slightly better than Barenboim's Emily Magee. Amara was actually a second choice, in one of the great missed opportunities of recording. The original Elsa for Leinsdorf was to have been Leontyne Price, who had the purity, warmth, beauty of voice and the acting skills and instincts to be a great Elsa, if not the very greatest. But commitments clashed and it was not to be.

The rest of the cast in both sets are adequate, sometimes excellent, but neither set has the depth of casting of the Kempe, Solti, Abbado, Jochum, Keilberth and so on. Rita Gorr, for Leinsdorf, is a shrill Ortrud (some of her notes cracked so badly I thought I was listening to Callas! <-- a joke, or nearly), but with dramatic experience and intelligence. An ugly Ortrud isn't wrong, necessarily, and this is a compelling performance. But Baremboim's Deborah Polaski is just as sinister without resorting to stripping paint, or my ears, with her top notes.

Actually Jessye Norman, who was Solti's Elsa, might be the definitive Ortrud of one kind: the sexy Bad Girl. Ortrud can and should be portrayed more sympathetically. Her character is more interesting than Elsa's, and there are grounds for being on her side; as a member of an older religion at a time when her beliefs were being put down by fire and torture and execution, among other things, she had every right to fight for her survival. And once Lohengrin freed Gottfried, Elsa's brother, he went on (in real history) to lead the Crusaders into Jerusalem, with enormous slaughter of non-combatants, and consequences we are suffering from to this day. Frankly, we'd all be better off if he'd stayed a Swan like Ortrud made him, part of the aquatic transport system between Montsalvat in Spain and Brabant in Belgium. (It might be interesting to work out Lohengrin's route some time, since he was restricted to swan-driven river traffic. Am I off the point yet?)

Finally, Barenboim is a more thoughtful musician than Leinsdorf, studying and pondering the score, and making a superbly planned performance. But Leinsdorf offers stronger forward propulsion, keeping the drama taut while letting the romantic scenes breathe, captured in brilliant sound. My bias at present is for faster Wagner than most conductors are giving us just now, so I tend to favour Leinsdorf's approach. But even if I discount that bias, as far as I can, I'd rate Leinsdorf high for sensitivity as well as compressed energy.

Sooo, after I'd tested these two complete sets, I bought the Leinsdorf. But it was a close thing, and it took me some pleasant hours to reach that decision. Both sets are perfectly good, and both have strong attractions.

Cheers!

Laon

This set is the most thrilling and realistic yet recorded ! The Boston Symphony Orchesrta and Chorus perform with great verve and power under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf. Not even the exquisite sets of Kempe and Kubelik can compete here. Konya gives the best recorded portrayal of the mystical knight, Lohengrin. He combines chivalry, strength and tenderness in this treasured and moving performance. Amara is memorable as the dreamy, vulnerable, virgin, Elsa. Rita Gorr is her driven, hateful nemesis, Ortrud. Hines is a regal Henry. With such resources Leinsdorf has given us a magisterial, vital, and authoritative reading of Wagner's score, a reference shelf recording that even Kempe and Kubelik cannot equal.

I'm giving this three stars on the basis of Konya's singing of the title role. We are fortunate that Konya, a tenor rather neglected in the studio, left excellent recordings of Lohengrin and the Meistersinger Walther (under Kubelik).

Leontyne Price was reportedly the first choice for Elsa. It would have been an interesting opportunity to hear her in a German role. There are a few glimpses of her singing in Richard Strauss excerpts in good vocal estate and they pique my interest for what she would have done in this role. (The complete Strauss Ariadne came a few years too late to showcase her great vocal gifts.) Lucine Amara is adequate but not much more. She no Janowitz, Norman, or especially, Grummer.

The rest of the cast is significantly outclassed, especially by Fischer-Dieskau and Christa Ludwig in the rival EMI/Kempe effort. Rita Gorr, an artist I admire, handles much of the role of Ortrud pretty well, but the final scene's squalling is a trial to the ears.

The Boston Symphony is tonally opulent and brings out much of the beauty of the orchestration, an accomplishment shared by Maestro Leinsdorf. The conducting isn't, however, on a par with Kempe.

This is an interesting recording for fans of Konya and the curious. Yes, it is absolutely complete with Lohengrin's uncut grail narrative, but for a reference recording, look elsewhere. My recommendation is EMI/Kempe.

I bought this recording nearly a decade ago, when I was still in the uni, back home, in Poland. I remember I was going to Poznan and had to change trains in Wroclaw so popped out of the train station and paid a quick visit to the city centre. In the Market Square there was a music shop and they had this recording on their shelf.

First impression was terrible: the price. Normally such sums can kill an elephant but I asked the staff to let me listen to it.
(At that stage of my life, the name of Sandor Konya wasn't really ringing any bells in my head although I knew he sang FANCIULLA with Tebaldi at the Met.)

I asked for the 3rd disc to be played, started off with DAS SUSSES LIED duet, noticed that things were looking - pardon, sounding - very promising so soon moved on straight to IN FERNEM LAND - and that's where my jaw literally dropped.

Never before - or after - have I heard that story of Grail told / sung so beautifully. No other tenor has got the potential this Hungarian had in both his voice itself as such and in his interpretation of this role: depth, warmth, sheer beauty, colour, heft, masculinity, humanity, style, musicality, phrasing - you name it, and let it be whatever - but it's THERE. Windgassen, Domingo, King, Thomas, Schock - all great tenors and worthy competitors but it is Konya who IMO wears all the laurels. Just for him - even if only for him - this recording is worth listening to.

Another plus is BSO with their superb sound, conducted by Leinsdorf. Perhaps I wouldn't call Leinsdorf the supreme inspiration of my life but he is at least very good, I'd say.

Here however comes the trouble: of other principal roles none is cast as well as the title one: Amara's singing is perhaps just nice and pleasant but realistically - pleasant is not what we expect from Elsa!! - so, IMO Amara's portrayal of the role is pale and bland - and nothing else really, I'd expect more depth of sound, she almost sounds tired or short of breath, the voice is way too light and colourless, shame but she is no Elsa, no way...

Now, if Konya made my jaw drop, then Rita Gorr nearly made my eyes fall off their sockets..!! - I've no idea what was going on but she must have been going through some tortures in that finale, she certainly wasn't pleasant (as opposed to Amara), her screamings are quite wild, ear-tearing, out of tune (either slightly under or far above, what a swing..) and frankly - I find them in the worst possible taste. Traumatic experience, that is, listening to that. Cheese is highly recommended when listening to that, and in big quantities, make sure you stuff your ears well with it..!!

Conclusion: mixed feelings. But go on, you give it a go. Adore Konya in the title role, try to appreciate Amara's pleasant efforts and make an effort to pretend that you didn't hear Gorr's final scene (or you did but you enjoyed it.. which is rather unlikely).

Lohengrin is one of my favorite operas and I hate to see it as ill served as it is here. Let us begin with praise: in the fifties and sixties there was no greater Lohengrin than Sandor Konya. Combining power and sweetness with an exquisite musicality and bel canto line (I heard him do a beautiful Edgardo in Lucia once), Konya owned the part in Vienna, Bayreuth, as well as the Met. Windgassen could be good, but the voice was neither as flexible nor colorful as Konya's. In this recording Konya is in wonderful voice. He can also be heard in live performances from Bayreuth one year with Grummer, another with Rysanek, each superb in very different ways. Lucine Amara, the substitute Elsa in this recording is nowhere near that league. One has to ask: what was RCA thinking? Was Amara the only available soprano that summer? She was a thorough musician and respectable craft-person, but thoroughly inadequate for Elsa, even in the studio. Rita Gorr, the great Belgian alto, had been a great Ortrud in the fifties: just listen to her in one of those live performances with Konya from Bayreuth. But here she is an unfortunate travesty of her former self. Her final bars in the third act must be some of the ugliest, screechiest, loudest sounds ever recorded. We have had great Ortruds on record (some of them off-air recordings): Margarete Klose, Kirsten Thorborg, Astrid Varnay, Christa Ludwig, Waltraute Meier, indeed the earlier Rita Gorr. This is good for a party laugh, not for serious listening. Telramund, King Henry, and the Herald are serviceable and undistinguished. The BSO always sounds good, even if Leinsdorf is not an elegant conductor; here he is somewhat crude, swift and uninspired. The chorus sounds like a very good volunteer effort lacking the heft and punch one likes in Lohengrin and gets from a good professional opera chorus. Some cuts are opened up, notably in Lohengrin's music; given Konya, they are worth hearing but probably not worth the price of admission, counting all else that's wrong here. As much a champion of Lohengrin as I am, I think this is a recording best left on the shelf. Get your Konya elsewhere. The Rudolf Kempe/Vienna Philharmonic Lohengrin with Elizabeth Grummer, Jess Thomas, Christa Ludwig and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau remains unsurpassed and has been very well remastered by EMI.

LOHENGRIN is been one of Wagner's best known works, and contains two of his best known musical pieces: The Prelude to Act III and the well known Bridal Chorus that is a staple at most weddings. In the early twentieth century it was one of the most popular operas performed at the Met. Is not all that surprising that the work is so well loved. Fans of Wagner have all the elements that make a Wagnerian opera great: powerful music and a mythic plot which tells the story of the Knight Lohengrin, son of Parsifal and Kundry. For music lovers who find Wagner a bit too off-putting or heavy, it has more of the elements of French and Italian operas than Wagner's later works such as the four operas that make up the Ring Cycle or Tristan and Isolde.

Recording Richard Wagner is a troublesome task. His works require such power that something in each recording seems to be missing. Sometimes it is the quality if the singing, at other times it is the orchestra or perhaps the conductor cannot hold the piece together. The Boston Symphony Orchestra's version of LOHENGRIN with Erich Leinsdorf seems to come pretty close to being perfect. The Boston Symphony Orchestra has a reputation for excellence and Leinsdorf was certainly one of its legendary conductors. He is able to use the full depth and abilities of the BSO to give this great work its due. Sandor Konya is Lohengrin. At one moment he can be a powerful heldentenor, at other moments he is able to sing with delicate grace and beauty. Lucine Amara's Elsa is sheer beauty. Jerome Hines is superb as the King. My only objection to the set is Rita Gorr's Ortrud. While she is a mezzo with great ability, and her character in this opera is supposed to be a bit shrilly, at time she is too brash and it comes across almost as screaming rather than singing. Once a person is used to her rendition of Ortrud, it becomes barely noticeable, but it dopes take some getting used to.

I have listened to other recordings of this work, as well as live broadcasts from the Met, (quite honestly it is difficult to judge the work from a Met broadcast a few years ago since the audience let its displeasure with the sets be known with a series of boos that seemed to have an effect on the music as well), yet this continues to be the recording I enjoy most. As another reviewer noted, there are cuts in this version, which was not uncommon for longer operas recorded in 1965 as this recording was, however the strengths of this recording still make it my favorite rendition of this work.

I'll keep my words short.

It's Pure magic all the way through, full of beauty, fire, drama, and weight...plus you get the complete full Act 3 Grail narration!

It's like a book you can't put down because it's so good!

Just get it and you will fall in love with Lohengrin in a whole way you never new possible!

It took a while for this recording to make it back into the catalogue. The wait was worth it. Sandor Konya was simply the best Lohengrin (and Walther von Stolzing) around during his time. His voice always had enough heft for the role, but he always sang it with real beauty. As many other recordings attest, this is not the case with many other tenors. Lucine Amara replaced Leontyne Price for this recording, and is good. Her voice does not have quite the heft and color needed for the role, but she sings honestly. Jerome Hines is probably the best Heinrich on CD. He had a cannon of a voice, and used it well. William Dooley's Telramund was criticized at the time for being short on top (i.e. - the top is tight) but I don't find that to be the case. Rita Gorr, however, IS rather hard pressed to get through the third act. I don't notice her having trouble in the earlier acts, but the final outbursts are vehemently lunged at rather than sung powerfully.

Unlike my other favorite Lohengrin (Fehenberger/ Jochum), this is absolutely complete (including the Appendix to the Grail Narrative!) in amazingly real sound. When you have that long procession to the cathedral or the preludes you want great sound, and this set delivers. The voices are free and project easily through the orchestra. I don't understand why people berate Leinsdorf so much. His performances do not have the hyper energy injected artificially into them by other conductors (Solti comes to mind), true, but they unfold naturally. What a joy to hear such balanced textures throughout. And the drama is still there. Multiple hearings of this set will make you enjoy it more with every hearing. (4 stars for Gorr act three and Amara's valiant but smallish Elsa.)

I went regularly to the BSO in the Leinsdorf era, and he was a wretched conductor on the whole. Now that he's long dead, I can almost forget him, until the stiff, unyielding, utterly inert conducting on this CD set reminds me of those awful years. Lucine Amara was dragged in at the last moment as a replacement in the part of Elsa and is quite bad, completely ignorant of Wagner style, too small of voice, etc. Sandor Konya is a joy, however, the ideal Lohengrin. This is his only studio recording of the role that made him famous, but you can find the same sweet-voiced performance on off-labels from live performances.