Search - Wagner - Lohengrin / Abbado, Domingo, Lloyd, Studer, Vienna State Opera on DVD

Lohengrin

Ali Hassan AYACHE | São Paulo, Brasil. | 12/31/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Plácido Domingo is the protagonist. The star of the opera world has no voice to take on this role, his vocals are tolerable, but the compensation is the usual one. He is a great artist, lends majesty, poise and class to the knight Lohengrin. The production of the Vienna Opera House also has good cast, orchestra and direction. The governing Abbado is safe, but nothing memorable, do not expect any final version of this work getting this video.

Plácido Domingo é o protagonista. A estrela da ópera mundial não tem voz para encarar esse papel, seus agudos são sofríveis, mas a compensação é a de sempre. Ele é um grande artista, empresta majestade, porte e classe ao cavaleiro Lohengrin. A produção da Viena Opera House conta ainda com bom elenco , orquestra e direção. A regência de Abbado é segura, mas nada inesquecível, não espere nenhuma versão definitiva dessa obra adquirindo esse vídeo"

Great live performance

D. Miller | New Jersey | 09/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At the time i write this, i see this is only available used, and at inflated prices. If you can get a deal though, this is a great DVD of a great opera. This has a "front row seat" feel to it, and doesn't try to be a movie like some opera dvd's. It is cast very well, and all the performers are in top shape. It is presented as the legend and fairy tale it is, with appropriate costumes and sets. Lohengrin's appearance and departure aren't met with any great special effects, but you get the idea well enough. The dove at the end is missing, or maybe not caught by the camera. This is one of the best DVD's of anything that i own.
Note: unlike most opera DVD's there is no menu choice for subtitles. It does have English subtitles however if you use the subtitle button on your remote."

My favorite Lohengrin

Fabert | New York City, USA | 03/18/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was the first Wagner opera I ever saw on video, and it bowled me over. I thought it was great, simply great, and I've watched it again many times since then. I've seen most other Lohengrin productions also available on DVD, but this remains my clear favorite.

The sets are perhaps a bit sparse, but otherwise this is a traditional production, something that is otherwise very hard to come by these days. You can certainly hear that Domingo isn't a native German speaker, but I can't say it really bothered me. And I think he both sings and acts wonderfully. That goes for Cheryl Studer too, my all-time favorite Wagner soprano (yes, I realize that is probably a rather idiosyncratic judgment, but I really adore her lyricism). It is rare to see an opera singer act with such passion, virtually becoming one with the role.

As I write this, I suddenly realize that I don't even know who directed this production. And that, in my humble opinion, is in fact as it should be. This is *Wagner's* Lohengrin -- not the Lohengrin of some Eurotrash director with a grotesquely inflated ego, who feels compelled to distort the work so that it reflects his 'interpretation' of it."

Swansense

Jonathan Unglaub | Cambridge, MA | 07/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Overall this is a fine production in musical terms, especially Domingo's impressive singing. Inexplicably, however, the brass and timpani are muted in some climatic crescendi, including the overture, though this seems to be more a fault of engineering balance than Abbado's conducting. Visually, the production can be summed up as bland and brown. It lacks even shining armor or colorful standards to break the sepia-toned monotony. The swan, which does appear, is so clunky and monstrous that it makes one appreciate the genius of the single wing gliding across the stage in Robert Wilson's otherwise ludicrous minimalist production at the Met. In fact, the swan looks as though it had been yanked from Santa's goose-shaped sleigh in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade."