Search - Wagner, Tebaldi, Penni :: Lohengrin

A SENSATIONAL LOHENGRIN PERFORMANCE!

Armindo | Greece | 05/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

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With enough good German Lohengrin recordings on the market, it's not immediately obvious why one should get this live 1954 one, unless looking for an Italian vesion of the opera.



Well I dare to say the singing on this recording surpasses most famous German recordings of this opera! Santini brings the Neapolitan forces together and creates a moving performance. I'm not surprised Karl Bohm, a Wagner specialist was totally enchanted by Tebaldi's Elsa and called her simply the best Elsa he's ever heard. Her radiant, plush soprano and grand stage presence are ideal for this gorgeous Wagner heroine. It certainly makes us wish Tebaldi had indulged in other German repertoire heroines but la nostra Renata as we know, would refuse.



If Tebaldi's stunning performance I more or less expected, it was Elena Nicolai who astounded me! I couldn't believe my ears. I'm tempted to say that she sounds like a mezzo Tebaldi and this is probably the highest praise a mezzo will get from a person who's not a huge fan of this type of voice! What a focused and beautiful sound. She also delivers the drama and anxiety of her character very convincingly. She made me proud to be Greek!



As if the two exceptional ladies were not enough, you get Gino Penno in the title role! It's really a shame this impressive tenor didn't get more attention by recording companies. He almost equals the thrust of Del Monaco - who was a fantastic Lohengrin himself - without the legendary tenor's sometimes vulgar attack and sounds much more comfortable in heavy tenor roles than the too lyrical Di Stefano. What he lacked I guess was a very individual sound and that star quality finishing touch. The great Guelfi had nearly the same luck as Penno in terms of fame and his contribution here shows us what a superb baritone he was. Neri remains one of the exceptional basses of the 20th century.



The sound is rather dated and I hope record companies will remaster it soon. As it is, it's acceptable throughout the performance despite a couple of unpleasant pitch problems.



Wagner in Italian is an interesting experience and this Lohengrin performance makes probably the strongest case!

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