Thielemann’s translucent conducting makes extra of Vienna’s complicated new Lohengrin than it deserves – Seen and Heard Worldwide

Austria Wagner, Lohengrin: Soloists, Refrain and Orchestra of Vienna State Opera / Christian Thielemann (conductor). Broadcast reside (directed by Tiziano Mancini) from the Vienna State Opera, 5.5.2024. (JPr)

Creatives:
Manufacturing – Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito
Set and Costume design – Anna Viebrock
Lighting design – Sebastian Alphons
Co-Set designer – Torsten Köpf
Refrain grasp – Thomas Lang

Forged included:
Henry the Fowler – Georg Zeppenfeld
Lohengrin – David Butt Philip
Elsa von Brabant – Malin Byström
Friedrich von Telramund – Martin Gantner
Ortrud – Anja Kampe
The King’s Herald – Attila Mokus
4 Brabant nobles – Juraj Kuchar, Daniel Lökös, Johannes Gisser, Jens Musger

Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito’s Lohengrin – new to Vienna however seen on the Salzburg Easter ComPetition in 2022 – appeared an fascinating Konzept at first: what if Ortrud has proper on her aspect and Elsa did homicide her little brother with a purpose to develop into the chief of the fractious folks of Brabant. Right here King Henry – together with his armed troops in uniforms bridging the 2 world wars – is trying to maintain the peace, although there have been disturbing allusions within the first act to the rounding up of Jews by the Nazis.

Throughout an ethereal Act I prelude – and certainly it’s the music carried out by the Vienna State Opera Orchestra which saves this Lohengrin – we see Elsa on the aspect of what appears to be like just like the lock on a canal. Anna Viebrock’s set has three ranges and many limitations with these on the entrance usually being put collectively, taken aside or clambered over. Mainly, it is just on the entrance of the stage the place a lot of the motion (akin to it’s) takes place, virtually as if it’s a semi-staging which was mirrored within the black rehearsal garments Ortrud appears to put on in Act II (costumes additionally by Viebrock).

So earlier than the singing begins Elsa seems to be sleepwalking or not less than having a psychological episode and noticed by Ortrud she pulls on the hand of somebody within the water, recovers a beanie hat which she places on after which lets the hand drop once more. We are able to assume that is Gottfried, her youthful brother. Elsa modifications from a white prime and glossy trousers right into a pale blue and white gown she’s going to put on largely all through – other than a white nightdress and lengthy marriage ceremony veil later within the opera – earlier than altering again into the highest and trousers on the finish of the final act.

Ortrud hopes to show Elsa’s crime and make her simply led husband Telramund the ruler of Brabant, as she is descended from the previous rulers. Unusually throughout Act II Ortrud and Telramund can barely preserve their fingers off one another. Ortrud quickly recovers Gottfried’s swan necklace from the water which she makes use of to govern Elsa, while invoking the assistance of her previous gods as typical. As for Elsa, she continues to protest her innocence however by no means seems totally sane.

It begs the query who’s Lohengrin? Absolutely the Knights of the Grail have one thing higher to do than ship their emissary to save lots of a assassin? He emerges in chain mail from a culvert wanting like Albrecht Dürer’s self-portrait or one thing on the partitions of Neuschwanstein Fort and shortly dons a tabard with – what appears to be like like – the cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre; a motif which fills the stage at Elsa and Lohengrin’s marriage ceremony. Usually the Brabantian folks will make the signal of the cross and with the arrival of the Lohengrin’s ‘swan’ there’s a lot mass wobbling as if an earthquake was taking place.

Lohengrin’s duel with Telramund is a non-event and though Lohengrin brandishes an enormous sword divine judgement (?) causes his opponent to have a coronary heart assault earlier than a blow is struck. This Lohengrin clearly loves himself usually flicking his luxurious lengthy locks and witness the best way he lounges on the mattress which slides alongside in Act III over the canal, maybe it’s a waterbed? On the finish, Lohengrin jumps into the water, earlier than Elsa pulls an ashen-faced, zombie-like Gottfried up and out of it. He places on Lohengrin’s ring, his horn and picks up his sword and kills Elsa with it. [Spoiler alert] who else now thinks Lohengrin was an incarnation of Gottfried’s revenge-seeking spirit?

There are usually not sufficient superlatives to reward how the music of Lohengrin sounded by means of loudspeakers and truly – at sure occasions – I wanted I might have simply heard the elegant orchestra with out all of the singing as a result of – other than the contributions of the fantastic, expanded refrain – I’ve heard Lohengrin actually higher sung each in Vienna and elsewhere.

On the one hand, I believe there might be little doubt that Wagnerian singers are an endangered species like by no means earlier than, while it’s good to see unfamiliar faces and listen to new voices trying these troublesome roles. The present forged (respectfully) pales into insignificance with a few of these in Vienna’s previous. Georg Zeppenfeld stays a splendidly dependable singer however whether or not Daland, Hunding, Pogner, Hans Sachs, King Marke, Gurnemanz, or as right here, as a barely enfeebled (as soon as once more!) King Henry, he all the time appears to be, effectively, Georg Zeppenfeld. Really, Attila Mokus as a stern Herald had extra gravitas and appeared to ooze extra authority, although that will have been the administrators’ intention. Martin Gantner – the one one of many principal forged to sing in Salzburg – was browbeaten and stuffed with self-loathing as Telramund, I actually heard Alberich in his efficiency, not a job I consider he but sings.

Anja Kampe chewed the surroundings as a convincing Ortrud; an ostracised but proud, unyielding and conniving girl clearly in some form of poisonous relationship with Telramund. Nonetheless, generally Kampe’s prime notes sounded extra like hard-edged shrieks than they might have accomplished. Malin Byström is comparatively new to the function of Elsa, and I’m not certain it’s proving a great match. There was no particular radiance or heat to a lot of her singing and I wasn’t sure whether or not Byström’s regularly barefooted Elsa totally embraced any culpability for her actions. (She seldom regarded different characters within the eyes, although that will have been extra as a result of singer herself than the administrators). David Butt Philip is equally comparatively new to the function of Lohengrin and the way nice to have a British singer on this function in Vienna. Right here he made for a slightly gawky, considerably narcissistic, wide-eyed ‘hero’ and (I repeat) we by no means actually obtained the sense of who this Lohengrin was, somebody ‘actual’ or supernatural? Butt Philip’s singing had a straightforward lyricism for essentially the most half, however he hadn’t paced himself sufficiently and the ‘Grail Narration’ examined him, to say the least.

Christian Thielemann conducts this opera – and most Wagner – as of late like nobody else can. The usually-interminable Act II exchanges between Ortrud and Telramund had a pressure few conductors realise. There have been naturally flowing tempi and textures which had been translucent, not overly lush, however finely detailed and with sufficient momentum to hold the drama ahead. As ever he was supportive of his singers all through, and I believe each phrase might be heard clearly within the opera home. Passages of rapt depth and surging pleasure all mixed to take a grip on me from first observe until the final one: because it seemingly did for the viewers on the Vienna State Opera based mostly on the particular ovation Thielemann deservedly acquired at his curtain name.

Jim Pritchard