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Lohengrin
Any doubt on the nature of the debt the Romantic school of Russian composers owed to Richard Wagner can be pretty definitively settled by this performance from the Mariinsky Theatre. Under the sensitive baton of Konstantin Simeonov, Lohengrin in Russian sounds eerily like something by Tchaikovsky, both in the ethereal prelude and in its moments of bombast. The chorus and orchestra are excellent (especially the very fine horn section) and the singers are solid, but unfortunately for the most part unknown. Only Lamara Chkonia's passionate Elsa and the stentorian Grail Knight of Vladimir Timokhin are credited. Both are very fine, though Timokhin's full-blooded, pingy tenor strikes me as more of a Siegmund than a Lohengrin. The other singers, whoever they are, are generally excellent: there's a powerful-voiced Herald and a commanding Telramund, and if the Ortrud edges toward the strident, her performance has an appealing recklessness that really comes to life on record. This performance may be something of a curio, but that doesn't mean it's not a thrilling listen.
Track List
Act I
Tracks 1 - 9
Act II
Tracks 10 - 18
Act III
Tracks 19 - 28
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4.0
Based on 3 reviews
✓ Top Reviewer
United States
Good "Lohengrin" of unlikely provenance
If you were in Kiev, circa 1962, and had an evening to spare, you could do much worse than this "Lohengrin." The unnamed conductor draws a firm line and keeps the music moving along smartly. Of the soloists, the (anonymous) Herald gets things off to an inauspicious start with some wooly pronouncement and Adrii Kikot's King Henry lacks vocal individuality but makes up for it in expert navigation of the role's compass. Sergei Kozak's Telramund is comfortably above average for this difficult role and he has a fitting consort in Vira Lyubimova's Cossotto-like Ortrud. As Elsa, Galina Sholina's tone has plenty of spin and slots into the upper register effortlessly. At first blush, the cantorial throb of Pyetro Bilinnik's Lohengrin sounds as though the Swan Knight has come from the nearest synagogue, not distant Montsalvat, but one quickly warms to his appealing personality and tireless instrument. There are some severe and startling cuts (like the acappella section of the Act I prayer), with Act II only running 62 minutes. But if you can afford the luxury of an exotic "Lohengrin" you can do a lot worse than this performance.
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Corrections
The opera is performed in Ukrainian and the correct cast is:Lohengrin - Pyetro BilinnikElsa - Galina SholinaTelramund - Sergei KozakOrtrud - Vira LyubimovaKonig Heinrich - Adrii Kikot
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✓ Top Reviewer
Slovenia
Martin Ramor
Very good Lohengrin. Russian is for me no problem, since I have a modest collection of opera works sung in "wrong" languages. Chkonia, Timokhin, Simenov all very good.
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