Playlist »Lohengrin«

Christian Thielemann, who will conduct the Lohengrin premiere, can be heard at the beginning and end of the playlist with the preludes to Act 1 and Act 3. Interspersed with these tracks are highlights from major live and studio recordings: the productions under Rudolf Kempe (Munich 1951 and Vienna 1963) and Rafael Kubelik remain benchmarks for connoisseurs and collectors, as do the Bayreuth recordings with Sandor Konya as Lohengrin; alongside him, two legendary interpreters of Elsa: Leonie Rysanek and Elisabeth Grümmer. The fact that the title role gains enormously when it is approached by the singer like an Italian part is also shown by the recordings of Franz Völker and Jonas Kaufmann. Even the role of Telramund, which has been labeled a "roaring part," benefits from this approach, as can be heard in exemplary fashion with Josef Metternich. And what would an Ortrud be without the sound of dangerous seduction? Here Margarete Klose and Christa Ludwig set the standard; »Entweihte Götter!« was a real showstopper in performances with the Ludwig, including the premiere of Wieland Wagner's new production, in Vienna in 1965.

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