Lauritz Melchior - Höchstes Vertraun (1928)
- el año pasado
Lauritz Melchior sings "Höchstes Vertraun" from Act III of Lohengrin, recorded on June 20, 1928.
Conductor is Leo Blech.
Lohengrin is an opera that takes three and a half hours to perform. I view it as Richard Wagner's best, but I won't go into my reasons here.
It was completed in 1848.
At the time of Lohengrin's composition, Wagner was a leader in an uprising in Dresden, where he lived. He then fled to Switzerland to avoid arrest.
He relied on Franz Liszt to arrange the opera's premiere in Weimar in 1850.
Wagner’s romanticism was largely based on ancient legends and mysticism with strong Gothic influences.
The plot of this opera was based on a mediaeval epic poem, “Parsifal.”
The setting is Antwerp during the reign of King Heinrich I of Saxony (876–936).
Act One begins with discord at King Heinrich's court. Count Friedrich accuses Elsa von Brabant of murdering her brother. He had previously been rejected by her and married the sorceress Ortrud. He tells lies under Ortrud's influence.
The King declares that such an accusation must be settled by combat. Elsa must have a champion willing to fight Friedrich.
Nobody present volunteers, but then a stranger arrives--a miracle! A knight arrives on a boat led by a swan.
He agrees to be Elsa’s champion on condition that she will marry him if he wins. Also, she must never ask his identity.
The fight takes place. The newly arrived knight overcomes Friedrich, but Lohengrin shows mercy and spares the life of Friedrich.
Act Two
There are celebrations in the castle of Antwerp, but outside the walls Ortrud persuades Friedrich to seek revenge.
Friedrich had been humiliated in the fight, so he is willing to listen to Ortrud.
When Elsa steps onto a balcony, feeling joy, Ortrud elicits her pity. Then Ortrud warns Elsa not to trust the knight.
In the morning, the King’s herald proclaims the knight to be Protector of Brabant. Elsa arrives in a wedding procession but Ortrud intervenes and accuses the knight of sorcery. When Friedrich arrives he calls on the knight to reveal his name, but the knight refuses to do so.
Act Three
The act opens with the famous Wedding March.
Once married, Elsa, troubled by the doubts instilled in her by Ortrud, asks the knight to reveal his name.
Friedrich arrives to take his revenge by attacking the knight but is killed by him.
In front of the King, the knight presents Friedrich’s body and accuses Elsa of breaking her vow.
Then the mysterious male stranger or knight sings a traditional aria to a crowd. I say "traditional" since a singer hogs the stage as time stands still, everyone listening, no interrupting.
Traditional? Yes, in some ways. But Wagner's genius shines here. No aria in earlier operas sounds remotely like this!
In the aria, he announces to Elsa what he had hoped to never utter: his name!
If he utters his name, he must return to where he came from.
Conductor is Leo Blech.
Lohengrin is an opera that takes three and a half hours to perform. I view it as Richard Wagner's best, but I won't go into my reasons here.
It was completed in 1848.
At the time of Lohengrin's composition, Wagner was a leader in an uprising in Dresden, where he lived. He then fled to Switzerland to avoid arrest.
He relied on Franz Liszt to arrange the opera's premiere in Weimar in 1850.
Wagner’s romanticism was largely based on ancient legends and mysticism with strong Gothic influences.
The plot of this opera was based on a mediaeval epic poem, “Parsifal.”
The setting is Antwerp during the reign of King Heinrich I of Saxony (876–936).
Act One begins with discord at King Heinrich's court. Count Friedrich accuses Elsa von Brabant of murdering her brother. He had previously been rejected by her and married the sorceress Ortrud. He tells lies under Ortrud's influence.
The King declares that such an accusation must be settled by combat. Elsa must have a champion willing to fight Friedrich.
Nobody present volunteers, but then a stranger arrives--a miracle! A knight arrives on a boat led by a swan.
He agrees to be Elsa’s champion on condition that she will marry him if he wins. Also, she must never ask his identity.
The fight takes place. The newly arrived knight overcomes Friedrich, but Lohengrin shows mercy and spares the life of Friedrich.
Act Two
There are celebrations in the castle of Antwerp, but outside the walls Ortrud persuades Friedrich to seek revenge.
Friedrich had been humiliated in the fight, so he is willing to listen to Ortrud.
When Elsa steps onto a balcony, feeling joy, Ortrud elicits her pity. Then Ortrud warns Elsa not to trust the knight.
In the morning, the King’s herald proclaims the knight to be Protector of Brabant. Elsa arrives in a wedding procession but Ortrud intervenes and accuses the knight of sorcery. When Friedrich arrives he calls on the knight to reveal his name, but the knight refuses to do so.
Act Three
The act opens with the famous Wedding March.
Once married, Elsa, troubled by the doubts instilled in her by Ortrud, asks the knight to reveal his name.
Friedrich arrives to take his revenge by attacking the knight but is killed by him.
In front of the King, the knight presents Friedrich’s body and accuses Elsa of breaking her vow.
Then the mysterious male stranger or knight sings a traditional aria to a crowd. I say "traditional" since a singer hogs the stage as time stands still, everyone listening, no interrupting.
Traditional? Yes, in some ways. But Wagner's genius shines here. No aria in earlier operas sounds remotely like this!
In the aria, he announces to Elsa what he had hoped to never utter: his name!
If he utters his name, he must return to where he came from.