Domingo's Lohengrin

[uffeviking]

Who hasn't heard of or read about Placido Domingo's performance as Wagner's Lohengrin at the Vienna Staatsoper conducted by Claudio Abbado? I had and finally decided to see for myself what's it all about. R.M. Arts has issued the DVD of the 1990 performance.

First of all: Abbado and the Vienna Chorus and Orchestra delivered an acceptable musical rendition of Wagner's music; nothing to write home about though. Hartmut Welker as Telramund gave the best acting performance and singing, a Count of Brabant to hate and yet feel sorry for being the weak husband dominated by his wife Ortrud. Her performance is forgettable. Next to best is Robert Lloyd as King Henry. When is Lloyd not good? From then on it goes down with an awful performance by Cheryl Studer as Elsa. Maybe not all her fault, the totally inadequate direction by Wolfgang Weber shares most of the blame. Studer's acting consists of perpetually admiring, adoring, loving looks at Domingo, always somehow ending up below him with her eyes raised. 'Himmelen', we say in German.

And then comes Placido. I have the distinct feeling he was doing all this because he simply wanted to see if he can sing a Lohengrin. He practically recited the lines, always with good voice, of course, but none of his passion or despair or whatever emotion is demanded of Lohengrin. Awful, is all I can say. It doesn't help at all that the costume designer draped two sections of floor lengths bedsheets front and back from Placido's shoulders and for the wedding night put him in a painter's knee length smock.

The entire performance left a very stale taste in my mouth; all so contrived from set design to costumes, boring choreography with most performers just standing around and delivering their lines. Actually that is Domingo's attitude all through the 219 minutes: "Let's get it over with!"

No, I can't recommend this DVD; go buy the one with Siegfried Jerusalem or the one with the most beautiful white knight in shining armour: Peter Hofmann!

[uffeviking]

Here's one picture:

[zamyrabyrd]

I wouldn't exactly associate Domingo with German music.
No, not even when he conducts Fledermaus.

ZB

[uffeviking]

Domingo conducting Die Fledermaus was a non-event! Any first class, probably even second and third class orchestra, can play this Strauss operetta in their sleep. So he got to sing a few bars, big deal!  Singing in Italian and French operas is where he shines and he should stick to them - but then he never consults me before he signs any contracts! 

[bhodges]

Thanks for the "to avoid" advice, Lis.  Frankly, after seeing Robert Wilson's gorgeous production of Lohengrin at the Met (little reminder below, and I wish they'd release it on DVD), this one sounds disappointing.

--Bruce

[uffeviking]

There you go, that's a Lohengrin production to look foreward to seeing released on DVD. I always tend to go for the visual, so even if the voices are not 'heavenly', I'll at least accept it and probably enjoy it very much.

This Domingo/Abbado/Vienna one still sticks in my mind as a tired performance; no umph and excitement to it, except the few minutes with Welker's Telramund.