Opera Review
Lively staging makes "Lohengrin" seem speedy

By Melinda Bargreen
Seattle Times music critic

ROZARII LYNCH Greer Grimsley plays Telramund and Jane Eaglen plays Ortrud in "Lohengrin."

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Asher Fisch, who led last season's "Parsifal," conducted an exciting performance that represented the orchestra at its very best, with brilliant brass and a propulsive energy that supercharged Wagner's beautiful score. The famous Prelude to Act III went off like a rocket, brilliantly executed and designed to thrill.

Stephen Wadsworth's staging was even better than in the show's first Seattle Opera outing 10 years ago. Generally more refined and more intense, the direction has all the key characters in very clear counterpoint, with everyone listening intently to each other and reacting (often violently) to everything that is said. There's not a lot of action in "Lohengrin," beyond a pair of brief swordfights and the dramatic arrival of the hero; there's a great deal of talk and many confrontations. These are hard to dramatize, but Wadsworth keeps the tension so high that you could cut it with a medieval broadsword.

Peter Kaczorowski's lighting, stark and dramatic, illuminated the effective Thomas Lynch sets.

There were a very few staging missteps, and most of these concerned the title character, sung by Dutch tenor Albert Bonnema in his company debut. Bonnema evidently was trying for a very boyish and lively portrayal, one in which there was entirely too much grinning and capering about (the processional scene, in which he clowned around with Elsa's garland, was particularly undignified). Lohengrin need not be a bore, but he does need a certain gravitas, as the character whose unimpeachable honor and valor make him a true hero.

Ten years is a long time in the opera world, but the tenor in the 1994 production, the unsurpassed Ben Heppner, casts a long shadow. Bonnema gave a valiant account of the title role; the vocal results, however, were variable. Some phrases were beautifully sung; others were merely loud and poorly controlled.

Marie Plette, a soprano who has sung several smaller "Ring" roles with the company since 2000 (and also several leading roles in other productions), sang the role of the fatally curious Elsa, and her voice also was variable. At first, the tone sounded tight and pinched, and veered sharp on the high notes; later she sounded less restricted, though the pitch problems stayed. Plette is an appealing actress; her love for Lohengrin was both clear and moving.

Now playing "Lohengrin," by Richard Wagner, produced by Seattle Opera, with Asher Fisch conducting and staging by Stephen Wadsworth. Repeats tomorrow, Friday and Aug. 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21, McCaw Hall, Seattle Center; $47-$123 (206-389-7676 or www.seattleopera.org).

Putting Plette on the stage with Jane Eaglen, as the wicked Ortrud, was a calculated risk. Utterly secure throughout the role's ample range, Eaglen's sumptuous voice tends to dwarf everything else. When she calls upon the gods for revenge, the whole stage seems to shudder. Her sexual hold on her husband (Telramund, powerfully sung and acted by the remarkable Greer Grimsley) was made clear in lingering and explicit embraces, and in the final scene she was an avenging fury. Wickedness has seldom looked more fun.

Gordon Hawkins was a first-rate Herald; the four nobles were John Uhlenhopp, Jon Kolbet, Gary Simpson and David Crawford.

The production's big surprise was in a relatively small role, King Heinrich, which was illuminated by the majestic bass-baritone and compelling presence of newcomer Gidon Saks. He's a larger-than-life actor, and his voice has tremendous focus. What a find!

By now, everyone expects the Seattle Opera Chorus to sound great, but the singers surpassed themselves this time. Kudos to chorusmaster Beth Kirchhoff and to the choristers (especially the men of Act II). The eight-member Youth Chorus sang briefly but memorably.

And then there was the swan. Several of us wanted to take him home. A wonderful remote-controlled swan, this one arched his neck so sweetly when Lohengrin stroked his feathers that you could hear a bewitched "Ahhhhh" throughout McCaw Hall. Congratulations to Seattle Opera's scenic studios (and you can read all about how the swan was built on a remote-controlled truck at www.seattleopera.org). If they ever teach this little fellow to sing, the rest of the cast will be seriously upstaged.

Melinda Bargreen: mbargreen@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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