In her blog, Likely
Impossibilities, Zerbinetta noted that Richard Jones' Lohengrin "...features
an absolutely exquisite musical performance with compelling lead singers."
She went on to add that the production "…is an interesting failure with a
few too many nifty ideas that never really develop." At Opera
Ramblings, John felt more positive about it, commenting, “The Personenregie seems
almost obsessively detailed and…the acting is first class."
The duet from the final act
apparently features the most "traditional" costuming. The singing
here is magnificent. I have not seen the entire production yet, but I have read
many not-so-positive reviews. It would be an interesting research project to
see which production people hated the most: this one or Hans Neuenfels' (the one with the rats mice)
version at Bayreuth.
On another note, given Anja
Hartero’s low ratio of appearances to engagements, the audience was fortunate
that she showed up to sing. We are fortunate too, as she and Jonas Kaufmann
sound marvelous! Here, in two sections, is a
large chunk of Lohengrin and Elsa's Act 3 duet:
Part 1: Das süße Lied verhallt
Part 2: Atmest du nicht?
Jonas Kaufmann sings Im Fernen Land.
(Corrected 10/13/2012 – Those are mice at Bayreuth–black, white, & pink mice–not rats.)
Update: 12/15/2012 - I just watched it again. I think they really are rats. Everyone, including JK, refers to them as rats.
This is a personal favorite which I watch over and over.
ReplyDelete