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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having been slightly disappointed by the live 1954 Jochum and 1953 Keilberth recordings - mainly because of deficiencies in Windassen's assumption of the eponymous hero and even in some of the deeper voices - turning to this recording was balm to my ears. In the reviews I have read, no-one has much remarked on the beauty of sound; a slight reverberance, real depth, crisp detail and a proper sense of theatre without the Bayreuth hackers who blight the quieter moments in the live recordings, especially the Jochum. The next thing to emphasise is the beauty of the voices. Several performances here are definitive; Kubelik was always so sympathetic to his artists and he gives them space to make their points without dragging. One first hears Nienstedt, Ridderbusch and Stewart as the Herald, the King and Telramund respectively - and what a joy it is to hear such firm, characterful, resonant, virile voices. Stewart in particular surprised me - though I was already familiar with his lovely Sachs in Kubelik's equally recommendable "Meistersinger"; he is every bit as expressive and grateful on the ear as the great Uhde and more so than Fischer-Dieskau in his nonetheless estimable performance for Kempe. The chorus is terrific; the orchestra precise and energised, and Kubelik confirms his status as perhaps my favourite of all conductors. As for Janowitz, she is a dream. That silvery, plangent tone is ideally suited to the ethereal (slightly loopy!) Elsa. Just listen to her exchange with Ortrud in Band 5 of the second disc if you need convincing -which brings me to the most controversial piece of casting in this recording: Gwyneth Jones' Ortrud. Jones had a huge voice and the vibrato became obtrusive too early in her career, but here I think her malignancy and subtlety of characterisation carry the day. The occasional squalliness is not inappropriate and she is mostly dead on the note and really exciting; I think that others have exaggerated the wobble and their repugnance for it - I've certainly heard much worse and I admire her vehemence and intelligence. If you're unsure, try her "Entweihte Goetter" (the chilling invocation to demonic powers a la Lady Macbeth); I think it's great. Rather than play safe, she goes for it. You will notice that I have not mentioned James King. His is a fine, often gently sung, performance, preferable to the bleatiness of Windgassen - at least to my ears - though I would not say he is here at his very best; elsewhere, in other recordings, his voice sounds less grainy.
So if you want a studio alternative to the famous Kempe, rather than a historically important live recording, this is it. I have known the Kempe for years and particularly admire Ludwig's Ortrud and Thomas's Lohengrin; his is probably the best assumption of all of the lead role. I'm glad to own both - but I shall return again and again to Janowitz's Elsa.
So if you want a studio alternative to the famous Kempe, rather than a historically important live recording, this is it. I have known the Kempe for years and particularly admire Ludwig's Ortrud and Thomas's Lohengrin; his is probably the best assumption of all of the lead role. I'm glad to own both - but I shall return again and again to Janowitz's Elsa.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is undoubtedly one of the most sublime and eloquent performances of Lohengrin I've ever come across. Kubelik is a superb Wagner conductor who knows how to achieve maximum dramatic effect without vulgar exaggeration. The orchestra parts are beautifully crafted. Janowitz's angelic singing brings the other-worldly beauty to the whole opera.
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a work that requires sensitive handling both to the singers and as a drama and under Kubelik it is superbly performed. As ever, a musician's conductor - he loves the score and secures matchless playing from the Bavarian orchestra. The cast for the most part is almost beyond reproach too, and indicative of the age in which it was made: the Elsa of Janowitz is angelic, and long held to be the greatest interpretation of the part on record. Karl Ridderbusch is an arrestng and authoritative King of noble tone, Thomas Stewart makes much of Telramund. This leaves perhaps the two most controvercial performers and their roles. Firstly, Gwyneth Jones' Ortrud: true, the voice was prone to some harshness, but also, at it's peak of great interpretive commitment and insight. Always the intelligent artist, Jones uses the vast resources at her disposal to great effect in conveying one of the most atmospheric Ortrud's on record. Listen to the start of Act II and the nuances in her exchanges with Elsa and Telramund - how different they are! This is not a one sided Ortrud, there are many subtle touches revealing the depth of the performance - and it is unfair to dismiss the role for a few wild vocal emissions. Secondly: James King's Lohengrin. Unfortunately in the 70s when the set was made, King was probably the only Heldentenor of any world standing that a major recording company cosider making a set with. He sings the role with full ardour, no denying that, and it does benefit from stage experience as Lohengrin too. However, he is the one performer who most disregards the copius dymanic markings of the vocal line (unlike all other Wagner tenor roles, this one is marked for the most part 'mp' or below. Often to achieve subdued singing (Act III) he is placed in a recessed acoustic, only to be brought 'forward' suddenly by the balance engineers. He tends to oversing big arias, rather than supply the drama in line with Wagner's intentions. In short, hardly ideal. For this reason, the set loses a star from the five. Now, if we had the Lohengrin of Gosta Winbergh on this set it would be heavenly. Let us hope that he records it before too long, with support to match.
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