Gratuitous Friday – Jonas Kaufmann is Lohengrin

Jonas Kaufmann is too polite to say what he really thinks about some of the more Regie-oriented productions he's appeared in. I have a feeling this may be one that he didn't care for so much. I really admire him for sticking with it; and oh my goodness, he sounds wonderful!

I haven’t seen the whole production yet. It's hard to say much about it based on a couple of  6 or 7-minute clips. However, according to Zerbinetta’s review at Likely Impossibilities, even after watching the whole opera it still may be difficult to grasp director Richard Jones’ point of view. 

At least there are no rats in this one – Jonas Kaufmann & Anja Harteros in Lohengrin

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."