Lohengrin (CD): Rudolf Kempe, Gottlob Frick, Jess Thomas, Elisabeth Grümmer, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Christa Ludwig, Otto Wiener
Conductor Rudolf Kempe
König Heinrich Gottlob Frick
Lohengrin Jess Thomas
Elsa Elisabeth Grümmer
Telramund Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Ortrud Christa Ludwig
Der Heerrufer Otto Wiener
Wiener Philharmoniker
Chor der Wiener Staatsoper
Recorded 23-30 November, 1-5 December 1962 and 1-3 April 1963.
Additional info below
Rudolf Kempe's recording of Lohengrin on Amazon
The cast on this Lohengrin set speaks for itself: Gottlob Frick, Jess Thomas, Elisabeth Grümmer, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Christa Ludwig are all near perfect for their parts. Not meaning to disregard any of the others, I am especially excited about Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's Telramund and Christa Ludwig's Ortrud. And who can resist the timbre of Gottlob Frick? Rudolf Kempe has me sitting on the edge of the chair from the first bar and the Vienna Philharmonic plays like their lives are at stake. The reading is not characterized by the transparency we (many) expect today, but it is wonderfully intense, and Kempe is a true Wagnerian, making both the great long lines and the details a feast for the ear.
Kempe's recording of Lohengrin was made with Wiener Philharmoniker in the newly restored Theater an der Wien. It took 55 sessions to complete. Rudolf Kempe's other outstanding studio recording of a Wagner opera, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1956), was made with Berliner Philharmoniker.
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau wrote in his autobiography this about Rudolf Kempe:
[He was] a rock of benevolent calm amid the waves of excitement. [...] [He had] a special talent for surprising himself again and again, flexibly translating new experiences, new nuances of sound into action. His beat had nothing schoolmasterish about it, and nothing routine.
Reviews
Jess Thomas combines ardour and anguish as well as
any, and with Fischer-Dieskau a formidable (but never over-emphatic)
antagonist, and Gottlob Frick a majestic King Henry, the drama of the
opera's central conflict remains supremely immediate and powerful. As
Elsa and Ortrud, Elisabeth Grümmer and Christa Ludwig are ideal opposites.
The
Gramophone Classical Music Guide 2008
- Lohengrin on DVD
- Lohengrin on CD
- Back to main page about Lohengrin
- Herheim's Lohengrin at Staatsoper Berlin 2009
Additional information
Producer Victor Olof
Balance Engineer Francis Dillnutt
Chorus Master Richard Rossmayer