www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

chinadaily.com.cn
left corner left corner
China Daily Website

Lohengrin's grandeur survives despite snags

Updated: 2012-12-14 11:01
( China Daily)

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.

Related: China National Museum showcases anti-smuggling efforts

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.

Related: NCPA takes center stage 

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.

Related: Powerful voice

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.

Related: What they say about NCPA

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

Lohengrin's grandeur survives despite snags

Scenery of rime in Jilin city

Lohengrin's grandeur survives despite snags

Taihang Mountains' icefall 

Lohengrin's grandeur survives despite snags

Oriental cherries bloom in Yunnan

8.03K
 
 
Hot Topics
Photos that capture the beauty of China.
...
...
...
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产永久在线观看 | 免费一级大毛片a一观看不卡 | 久久久久久亚洲精品中文字幕 | 成人久久18免费网站入口 | 婷婷色综合久久五月亚洲 | 国产在线播放一区 | 亚洲免费一 | 黄网在线观看免费 | 97人摸人人澡人人人超一碰 | 日韩午夜在线 | 91精品国产免费久久久久久青草 | 午夜久久视频 | 亚洲天堂美女视频 | 久cao在线观看视频 久爱免费观看在线网站 | 国产精品高清视亚洲精品 | 午夜三级a三级三点在线观看 | 免费视频久久看 | 在线不卡一区二区三区日韩 | 国产一级成人毛片 | 男人的天堂久久香蕉国产 | 黄页网站18以下禁止观看 | 日产一区两区三区四区 | 成人午夜性a一级毛片美女 成人午夜亚洲影视在线观看 | 8050网午夜一级毛片免费不卡 | 99视频久久精品久久 | 国产第一区二区三区在线观看 | 国产手机在线视频 | 亚洲午夜在线观看 | 中文字幕高清在线天堂网 | 国产日韩欧美一区二区 | 亚州视频一区 | 黄色一级片a | 最新亚洲国产有精品 | 亚洲一级毛片视频 | a高清免费毛片久久 | 亚洲在线欧美 | 毛片观看网站 | 九九re6精品视频在线观看 | 九九在线精品视频播放 | 美女黄页网站免费进入 | 91精品久久久久含羞草 |