Lohengrin

Abbado and Domingo Main Attractions In Vienna LOHENGRIN
This DVD of Lohengrin from Vienna in 1990 gives us a fine rendition of the opera, highlighted by several outstanding performances -- mainly that of the conductor and the tenor. Abbado's Vienna State Opera orchestra plays beautifully for him, showing off the string and brass sound that Solti's Ring made famous so many years ago. The tradition is still going strong. Though Abbado does not summon the seamless, silky sound of the Berlin Philharmonic under Von Karajan in his EMI recording, and occasionally a chorus voice sticks out, what you are hearing is a live performance and such flaws and lack of balance are to be expected. Mr. Domingo, on the other hand, gives a fully committed and vocally sumptuous performance in a role we are not used to hearing him sing. What a treat to hear almost no vocal strain, and no "Bayreuth Bark" -- a common pitfall, especially as the opera approaches the end of the evening. Cheryl Studer sings musically, if rather cooly -- which results in...

Domingo sings Wagner
I believe Domingo's Lohengrin is a complete interpretation only on video. Even people who had issues with his Decca recording would be hard pressed to point out a more impressive Lohengrin as a stage presence. Domingo is a youthful, virile, handsome Lohengrin, and his latin colors add a specific passionate-dignified flavor to the role. This is dramatically appropriate considering Lohengrin's background. I am not at all a blind fan of Domingo, but repeat viewing of this production, which I first purchased over a year ago, fills me with nothing less than awe for what he accomplished here. It seems he had more time for rehearsals than on some productions, as every movement of his and every gesture is dramatically well calculated. He is actually convincing as the quintessential white night in shining armor who commutes on a white swan to save wronged maidens, the very embodiment of Christian virtue.

Struder is an enigma to me. It seems there is a split between her conception...

Domingo is Lohengrin
There are many strong points to this performance of Lohengrin which was beautifully performed by the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and brilliantly conducted by Claudio Abbado. I was previously unfamiliar with Hartmut Welker who was vocally and dramatically outstanding as Telramund. I will seek out his recordings in the future. Cheryl Studer was in fine voice as Elsa and proved herself as a more than capable Wagnerian lyric soprano. Dunja Vejzovic (a favorite of Karajan) was impressively sinister as Ortrud, but her singing, to my ears, was not on par with her acting. Staging was stark and relatively sparse. It was not very exciting visually.

Then there is Placido Domingo. Although Domingo is not considered by many to be a Heldentenor, he sang Wagner's most Italiante role breathtakingly beautifully. His performance leads me to suspect that the standard categorization of opera singers into narrow boxes of suitable roles is artificial nonsense. Or perhaps it is simply that Domingo can...

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