Lohengrin d'après Bychkov

(Wagner - Lohengrin: Botha, Pieczonka, Lang, Youn, Struckmann e Schulte; WDR Radio Chorus & O Cologne, direcção de Bychkov. Profil)

«This is a gloriously played and sung account of Wagner's first unqualified masterpiece. It was taken from concert performances in Cologne a year ago, and is now released in Britain presumably to coincide with the revival of the Royal Opera production of Lohengrin, which has the same conductor and four of the same principals. Semyon Bychkov's handling of the huge score takes pride of place on these discs, for its dramatic sweep and power, the delicacy and finesse with which the more lyrical passages are teased out, and for the superlative performances he extracts from the Cologne Radio Orchestra and its chorus. The ceremonial set pieces that are studded through the opera have a grandeur that never overwhelms their dramatic function, and Bychkov shapes the crucial confrontations, such as that between Petra Lang's Ortrud and Adrianne Pieczonka's Elsa in the second act, with a clear sense of purpose. Most of the solo singing is outstanding, too, right down to the luxury casting of Eike Wilm Schulte as the Herald. As Lohengrin, Johan Botha combines all the necessary vocal heft with a wonderfully musical shaping of every line. And if Pieczonka's tone is sometimes a bit pinched under pressure, there is a radiance to much of her singing that more than compensates. You have to go back quite a few years to find a new Lohengrin as accomplished as this on disc.»