Wagner: Lohengrin
Mar. 30, 2009 - Profil Medien
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Wagner: Lohengrin
Profil are proud to present a recording of Wagner’s romantic three act opera with a stunning cast, recorded on superb SACD sound quality. Through its plot and such familiar music as the Bridal Chorus and the Act III Prelude, Lohengrin is one the most accessible of all Wagner operas. The performers, conducted by Semyon Bychkov will join forces with the the Royal Opera Chorus and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in April to perform Lohengrin at the Royal Opera House. - BBC Music Magazine 2010, Awards 2010, April. 10, 2010
Reviews
Semyon Bychkov conducts a robustly powerful yet airily textured performance, keenly dramatic yet finely detailed. His Cologne orchestra and various choruses, focused and involved, sound tremendous in surround-sound, and his cast is similarly strong. Johan Botha's clear, bright tone and unforced power embody the title role splendidly... - BBC Music Magazine, July 2009
As a studio recording, this new Profil release can claim a degree of rarity value. Also rare is its inclusion of a segment of Lohengrin's 'In fernem Land' monologue which Wagner cut at the time of the premiere, though this has previously appeared in two of the best earlier recordings (from Leinsdorf and Barenboim – see below).
The studio atmosphere means that there are no obvious theatrical effects: no thumps and bumps during fights, for example. But Semyon Bychkov's impassioned conducting ensures that there's no serious loss of theatricality; and even in ordinary stereo the big ensembles sound immensely imposing (the end of Act 2 overwhelming), which compensates to a degree for a wide dynamic range that makes it difficult to set a single suitable volume level throughout.
It can be argued that Wagner never settled on a definitive version of Act 3. He was surely right to cut the anticlimactic episode after Lohengrin reveals his and his father's names, but despite its inclusion here, Profil has failed to include the text in a libretto whose usefulness is already compromised by not having German, French and English in parallel, as well as by a fusty English translation.
Fortunately, there are many positive factors too. Bychkov's reading is admirable, with only occasional exaggerations (including slowing up towards the end of the Act 1 Prayer). Although none of the cast surpasses the work's best exponents elsewhere, all are well worth hearing.
Johan Botha is ardent and mellifluous, lacking only that finely spun, silvery thread of tone that distinguished Jess Thomas in the role; nor does Petra Lang – for all her sensitivity to the text – quite set the stage ablaze as Astrid Varnay did.
Adrianne Pieczonka is occasionally shrill in more strenuous passages, but there's an attractive tonal brightness that brings extra weight to her Elsa. Underpinning it all are the excellent Cologne forces, with Bychkov in the Act 1 Prelude conveying the 'awesome sweetness' that has to be brought to life if the drama is to work its magic. Not the best Lohengrin ever then, but it's good to have such a well characterised and sumptuously recorded new version. - The Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010
The studio atmosphere means that there are no obvious theatrical effects: no thumps and bumps during fights, for example. But Semyon Bychkov's impassioned conducting ensures that there's no serious loss of theatricality; and even in ordinary stereo the big ensembles sound immensely imposing (the end of Act 2 overwhelming), which compensates to a degree for a wide dynamic range that makes it difficult to set a single suitable volume level throughout.
It can be argued that Wagner never settled on a definitive version of Act 3. He was surely right to cut the anticlimactic episode after Lohengrin reveals his and his father's names, but despite its inclusion here, Profil has failed to include the text in a libretto whose usefulness is already compromised by not having German, French and English in parallel, as well as by a fusty English translation.
Fortunately, there are many positive factors too. Bychkov's reading is admirable, with only occasional exaggerations (including slowing up towards the end of the Act 1 Prayer). Although none of the cast surpasses the work's best exponents elsewhere, all are well worth hearing.
Johan Botha is ardent and mellifluous, lacking only that finely spun, silvery thread of tone that distinguished Jess Thomas in the role; nor does Petra Lang – for all her sensitivity to the text – quite set the stage ablaze as Astrid Varnay did.
Adrianne Pieczonka is occasionally shrill in more strenuous passages, but there's an attractive tonal brightness that brings extra weight to her Elsa. Underpinning it all are the excellent Cologne forces, with Bychkov in the Act 1 Prelude conveying the 'awesome sweetness' that has to be brought to life if the drama is to work its magic. Not the best Lohengrin ever then, but it's good to have such a well characterised and sumptuously recorded new version. - The Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010
The studio atmosphere means that there are no obvious theatrical effects… But Semyon Bychkov's impassioned conducting ensures that there's no serious loss of theatricality; and even in ordinary stereo the big ensembles sound immensely imposing (the end of Act 2 overwhelming)... Although none of the cast surpasses the work's best exponents elsewhere, all are well worth hearing. Not the best Lohengrin ever then, but its good to have such a well characterised and sumptuously recorded new version. - Gramophone, July 2009
Bychkov's study of the score is evident from the start of the Prelude, voiced as Wagner's own programme notes suggest...Pieczonka has all of Elsa's strangeness, her misapprehension, her doubts and her naivety...Botha sings and phrases the music beautifully. - Gramophone, July 2010
For the magnificent choral singing — the joint North and West German Radio choirs and the Prague Chamber Choir — and orchestral playing alone, this studio version of Wagner’s great “romantic opera” ranks with the best released on disc. - The Sunday Times, 26. April 2009
This is a gloriously played and sung account of Wagner's first unqualified masterpiece...Semyon Bychkov's handling of the huge score takes pride of place on these discs, for its dramatic sweep and power, the delicacy and finesse with which the more lyrical passages are teased out, and for the superlative performances he extracts from the Cologne Radio Orchestra and its chorus...You have to go back quite a few years to find a new Lohengrin as accomplished as this on disc. - The Guardian, 15. May 2009
This recording of Semyon Bychkov's slow-burning interpretation is a gift...the cast sings intelligently and subtly, while the orchestral performance combines gravity, ethereality and immaculate chording. - The Indipendent on Sunday, 10. May 2009
Cast
Kwangchul Youn (King Henry)
Johan Botha (Lohengrin)
Adrianne Pieczonka (Elsa von Brabant)
Falk Struckmann (Friedrich von Telramund)
Petra Lang (Ortrud)
Eike Wilm Schulte (King's Herald)
Praque Chamber Choir, NDR Chorus, WDR Radio Choir Cologne, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne
Musical Director: Semyon Bychkov
Track List
CD1
- Act I: Prelude
- Act I Scene 1: Hort! Grafen, Edle, Freie von Brabant! (King's Herald)
- Act I Scene 1: Dank, Konig, dir, dass du zu richten kamst! (Friedrich)
- Act I Scene 2: Seht ihn! Sie naht, die hart Beklagte (All The Men)
- Act I Scene 2: Einsam in truben Tagen (Elsa)
- Act I Scene 2: Des Ritters will ich wahren (Elsa)
- Act I Scene 2: Wer hier in Gotteskampfe zu streiten kam (All The Men, Friedrich)
- Act I Scene 3: Nun sei bedankt, mein lieber Schwan! (Lohengrin)
- Act I Scene 3: Wenn ich im Kampfe fur dich siege (Lohengrin)
- Act I Scene 3: Welch holde Wunder (Chorus)
- Act I Scene 3: Nun horet mich, und achtet wohl (Herald)
- Act I Scene 3: Durch Gottes Sieg ist jetzt dein Leben mein (Lohengrin)
- Act II Scene 1: Introduction
- Act II Scene 1: Erhebe dich, Genossin meiner Schmach! (Friedrich)
- Act II Scene 1: Was macht dich in so wilder Klage doch vergehen? (Ortrud)
CD2
- Act II Scene 1: Eintsetzlich! Wie tont aus deinem Munde (Friedrich, Ortrud)
- Act II Scene 2: Euch Luften, die mein Klagen (Elsa)
- Act II Scene 2: Elsa - Wer ruft? (Ortrud)
- Act II Scene 2: Entweihte Gotter! Helft jetzt meiner Rache! (Ortrud)
- Act II Scene 2: Ortrud, wobist du? (Elsa)
- Act II Scene 2: Wie kann ich solche Huld dir lohnen (Ortrud)
- Act II Scene 3: Im Fruh'n versammelt uns der Ruf (Chorus)
- Act II Scene 3: Des Konigs Wort und Will' tu' ich euch kund (Herald)
- Act II Scene 4: Gesegnet soll sie schreiten (Chorus)
- Act II Scene 4: Zuruck, Elsa! Nicht langer will ich dulden (Ortrud)
- Act II Scene 5: Heil! Heil dem Konig! (Chorus)
- Act II Scene 5: O Konig! Trugbetorte Fursten! Haltet ein! (Friedrich)
- Act II Scene 5: Welch ein Geheimnis muss der Held bewahren? (King)
- Act II Scene 4: Mein Held, entgegne kuhn dem Ungetreuen! (King)
- Act II Scene 5: Heil Elsa von Brabant (Chorus)
CD3
- Act III: Prelude
- Act III Scene 1: Treulich gefuhrt, ziehet dahin (Wedding March) (Chorus)
- Act III Scene 2: Das susse Lied verhallt (Lohengrin)
- Act III Scene 2: Fuhl' ich zu dir so suss mein Herz entbrennen (Elsa)
- Act III Scene 2: Atmest du nicht mit mir die sussen Dufte? (Lohengrin)
- Act III Scene 2: Hochstes Vertrau'n hast du mir schon zu danken (Lohengrin)
- Act III Scene 2: Weh', nun is all' unser Gluck dahin! (Lohengrin, Elsa)
- Act III Scene 3: Heil, Konig Heinrich! (All The Men)
- Act III Scene 3: Was bringen die? (Chorus)
- Act III Scene 3: Macht Platz dem Helden von Brabant! (All The Men)
- Act III Scene 3: In fernem Land, unnahbar euren Schritten (Lohengrin)
- Act III Scene 3: Mir schwankt der Boden! (Elsa)
- Act III Scene 3: Mein lieber Schwan! (Lohengrin)
