| Lohengrin |
Studio recording in stereo |
November 11, 1985 - June, 1986 |
| Conductor: Georg Solti |
| König Heinrich | | Hans Sotin |
| Lohengrin | | Plácido Domingo |
| Elsa | | Jessye Norman |
| Telramund | | Siegmund Nimsgern |
| Ortrud | | Eva Randová |
| Der Heerrufer | | Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau |
| Ein Edle | | Peter Jelosits |
| Ein Edle | | Thomas Mohr |
| Ein Edle | | Anton Scharinger |
| Ein Edle | | Alfred Sramek |
Wiener Philharmoniker
Chor der Wiener Staatsoper |
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| Decca, 421 053-2 |
4 CDs |
DDD |
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Review by Joseph A. Newsome
This, in my opinion as a devoted lover of Wagner's music, is a truly
wonderful interpretation of Wagner's divine "Lohengrin". The references
to the divine and to Wagner's later opera "Parsifal" are, appropriately,
very subtle and are not made into symbols which distort the sheer
dramaticism of the music itself.
Plácido Domingo's Lohengrin is a quiet, personal Lohengrin which I
frankly think is the most capable in years. Domingo imparts the
philosophical tragedy of the character without importing a pathetic
nature to the tortured hero. Jessye Norman's Elsa is less convincing.
Her voice, as always, is gorgeous, but over-stated, and at times simply
too large for the tender music which Wagner trusted to Elsa. The
remainder of the cast is quite sound, and Sir Georg Solti leads the
Vienna Philharmonic in a sensitive interpretation of the score.
This relatively late recording in the oeuvre of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
presents a wonderful portrait of the artist that once was the delight of
audiences. His herald is a bit weak but elegant and appropriate.
Overall, this is an excellent "Lohengrin" with great attention to detail.
This review is from the now closed Wagner on the Web and it is published
without the author's consent. I haven't been able to get in touch with him.
If the author reads this, please contact me as soon as possible. If you
don't want it here, I'll take it of the site immediately. |
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