Richard Wagner - Lohengrin - Konya, Grümmer, Wächter - Matacic 19593CDs - Mono ADD - 3h26min.
Orfeo 2006
Performer: Harald Neukirch, Herold Kraus, Rita Gorr, Donald Bell, Hans Günther Nöcker, Elisabeth Grümmer, Sándor Kónya, Eberhard Wächter, Franz Crass, Ernest Blanc
Conductor: Lovro von Matacic
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Bayreuth Festival Chorus
And then there is Sándor Kónya—surely one of the great Lohengrins in the 20th century. His voice rings out when power is called for, but the overriding impression is of a sweet, warm lyrical beauty of tone that stays long in the memory after we’ve finished listening to the opera. Grümmer’s pitch seems to wander occasionally, but her voice just glows with beauty, and she sings with keen understanding of the character. It is not easy to make us believe in Elsa as a real character, but she does. Gorr is an extraordinarily powerful Ortrud, Ernest Blanc a surprisingly effective and idiomatic Telramund, Crass a strong King Henry, and Eberhard Waechter is very luxurious casting as the Herald. --Arkivmusic
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