Lohengrin's grandeur survives despite snags

National Center for the Performing Arts' production of Lohengrin has a set that showcases high-tech stagecraft more than dramatic nuances. Provide to China Daily

Richard Wagner's most lyrically beautiful opera got a grand treatment fit for a king or a knight in shining armor, but quite a few holes were left in the vocal fabric that, with eyes closed, one might mistake for a piece of used cloth.

The new production of Lohengrin, by the National Center for the Performing Arts, is a follow-up to the wildly successful Flying Dutchman. But this time, director Giancarlo Del Monaco and his team came up with a set that showcased the high-tech stagecraft more than the dramatic nuances of the opera or its characters.

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Unlike Tosca or Flying Dutchman, which he designed for NCPA, this production of Lohengrin is grand in an old-fashioned way, without the filmic or imaginative touch he displayed in abundance previously.

The open-curtain set changes, of which he is an indisputable master, still elicited wows, but they did nothing to enhance the drama.

In spite of the mammoth scale and inconceivable fluidity of the stage, the pond in the opening scene of Act Three is a touch of genius. It adds a twinkle to the long duet. When the two lead singers dip into the real water and get their robe and gown wet, it is not just the realism, but the symbolism of the determination and failure of commitment, that elevates the scene to a thought-provoking height.

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Act Two stands out not only for its imposing staircase, but the physical separation of good and evil, with Elsa and Lohengrin walking up the steps and Ortrud and Friedrich of Telramund downstage, playing a Middle Ages version of truth-or-dare by inquiring about the name and lineage of the mysterious hero.

Vocally, the Lohengrin of Stefan Vinke and Elsa of Petra Maria Schnitzer were totally upstaged by the Telramund of Egils Silins and the Ortrud of Eva Johansson. Vinke has a vocal timbre that is aged and rough, completely failing to conjure up a youthful hero. He exhibited many of the deficiencies associated with a heldentenor, such as barking. Schnitzer has a sweet voice suitable for Elsa, but hers is a small vehicle unable to penetrate a Wagnerian orchestra.

Their Act One entrance was almost a disaster, but both eased into shape as the performance progressed and fared better in the later acts.

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Eva Johansson took Beijing by storm when she sang the role of Senta in The Flying Dutchman, in a uniformly strong cast. This time, she used her vocal prowess to portray a sorceress who is mad with jealousy.

Silins as Telramund projected a sense of nobility despite his snarl and grovel. Steven Humes as the king is royal and commanding.

This German cast in principal roles played three of the five nights. The other two shows featured a predominantly Chinese cast, as is usual with NCPA opera productions.

Maestro Lu Jia has proved beyond doubt that he is the best opera conductor in China. But a bigger kudos should be given to Marco Medved, whose directing of the NCPA chorus (including members from a chorus of the armed police force) elicited some of the most exquisite singing heard on this opera stage.

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Considering the NCPA chorus was formed only two years ago, it was quite a formidable feat, which raises our expectation for 2013's Wagner celebration with hopefully more offerings.

One peeve voiced by many Wagner fans here in Beijing was the trimming of length to fit into four hours (with two 15-minute intermissions). Unlike Shanghai Grand Theater's presentation of The Ring Cycle, NCPA did not move the curtain time ahead but stuck to the usual 7:30 pm and ran it till 11:30 pm, by which time the city's subway service has ended for the day.

Knowing how difficult it is to hail a cab on the Avenue of Eternal Peace, some patrons bolted for exits during the final act.

Ideally, the show should have been opened earlier and closed by 11 pm - for the convenience of most. We all know Wagner is long, but when everything is right it is anything but boring.

Contact the writer at raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

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