![Wagner: Lohengrin [SACD]](https://nationalbookswap.com/cd//l/49/3749/6183749.jpg)
| All Artists: Wagner, Youn, Botha, Pieczonka, Bychkov Title: Wagner: Lohengrin [SACD] Members Wishing: 1 Total Copies: 0 Label: Profil - G Haenssler Original Release Date: 1/1/2009 Re-Release Date: 3/31/2009 Album Type: Hybrid SACD - DSD Genre: Classical Styles: Opera & Classical Vocal, Symphonies Number of Discs: 3 SwapaCD Credits: 3 UPC: 881488900453 |
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Search - Wagner, Youn, Botha :: Wagner: Lohengrin [SACD]
CD Details |
CD ReviewsStunning dimitri mahler | los angeles CA | 04/14/2009 (5 out of 5 stars) "great recording , great version, can't tell you who is better or worse than rival versions but these voices are solid, pleasing, firm, in tune! I've been enjoying this conductor over the last 5 years, this is a beautiful new offering from him. The sound is out of the park... great sacd instrument and voice placement, I'd say model sacd sound. In fact to digress, if one can afford a decent system these days, around 10 grand (4,000 speakers, 3,000 amp, 1800 sacd player (yes the better ones sound better) 1,000 sub woffer) don't bother with surround sound, 2 channel sacd is a delight...) then one can be simply, well, stunned, with the better made sacd discs out there and in general many/most are." A well-rounded Lohengrin with Botha as the standout Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 06/14/2009 (4 out of 5 stars) "First off, one has to be grateful for any new recording of a major Wagner opera. I hope the idea of taping concert performances catches on. For the time being, sadly, studio recordings of Wagner aren't commercially viable. On the downside, the Amazon review (quoted from a highly unreliable online source) drastically oversells this new Lohengrin. It isn't of the same caliber as Abbado's successful DG recording with Siegfried Jerusalem and Cheryl Studer or Solti's on Decca with Domingo and Jessye Norman. Not only is Bychkov's cast not that stellar, but it's unreasonable to expect his Cologne orchestra to match the glorious Vienna Phil., which plays on both the earlier sets. Also of note is Colin Davis's set on RCA/BMG for the thrilling Lohengrin of Ben Heppner. Here we have a solid, well-sung performance that benefits from Bychkov's pacing, which is a shade brisk and always forward-moving. I can't say that he's a great Wagnerian, however. At times the music unfolds from bar to bar without a sense that Bychkov can shape an entire dramatic scene. Even so, the playing is fine and the recorded sound clear and natural (I haven't heard the SACD format). It quickly becomes apparent that this is Johan Botha's show: his sweet but expansive voice is perfectly suited to the title role. Like Heppner, he balances the lyric and heroic, being neither a true Heldentenor like Melchior nor a beefed-up lyric tenor like Jerusalem and Windgassen. Botha's ability to spin out a long legato line with even tone is very commendable, not to mention unusual in this day and age. The other male standout is Falk Struckmann as Telramund. It's possible to construct a half-sympathetic portrayal, but it's more fun when Telramund is sneering and sardonic, as here, and Struckmann's throaty, not very attractive timbre fits the role well. Among the women, the Elsa of Adrianne Pieczonka is innocent and appealing but rather a blank dramatically. Her voice sounds on disc like a pure lyric soprano, a size smaller than Grummer's or Studer's in this role. The tone is very pleasing, and the only noticeable flaw is that the voice spreads under pressure in the top range. The portrayal overall is pleasant rather than memorable. As Ortrud, Petra Lang is light-voiced for the part but a flexible singing actress. In part Lang succeeds by omission -- she leaves out the bawling scenery-chewing antics so many of her rival Ortruds indulge in. Her great outburst of vengeance in Act 2 is handled too cautiously, however. As for the remaining forces, the Herald and King Heinrich are nondescript, the chorus good but not a standout. I am baffled by anyone going gaga over this new Lohengrin, which settles comfortably in the middle of the pack. Unless you must have SACD surround sound, the earlier standbys from Kempe, Solti, and Abbado are much more exciting dramatically and musically." A LOHENGRIN TO REMEMBER Corno di Bass Trombono | Florida, U.S.A. | 10/06/2009 (5 out of 5 stars) "Although many of the singers will be unfamiliar to most opera goers, this is a performance with no weaknesses and many superlatives. Most of the success is due to the superb and understanding conducting of Bychkov, a conductor who has not been too frequent a visitor to the microphones. Another plus is the clear and natural SACD sound that throws the music in bold relief as no other has done before. This joins the five other recordings in my collection, and threatens to topple them all. Purchase is mandatory."
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