1964 Met LOHENGRIN

Since the Metropolitan Opera began carrying archive broadcasts on Sirius, I have been enjoying the chance to re-visit (thanks to Dmitry's generosity) certain performances that I listened to in my youth (!) and which have lingered in the memory. One such was a 1964 LOHENGRIN, the very first time I had ever heard this opera which was to become a particular favorite.

Sandor Konya (above) was the Lohengrin at this period of time, and this performance is a superb souvenir of his excellence in the role. The Hungarian tenor had an Italianate sound (though oddly I never liked him in Italian roles nearly as much as in Wagner) and a very slight touch of a sob or lachrymose 'whine' which gave his singing a real stamp of individuality. 

In the bridal chamber duet Konya attains his highest level of the afternoon, singing with lovely sweetness of tone, persuasive phrasing and masterful dynamic control. Later, after an impressive launching of "In fernam land"  Konya has a momentary memory lapse. The prompter quickly rescues him but thereafter he is a bit cautious. However the overall vocal and 'spiritual' impact of Konya's Lohengrin is truly impressive; it is such an arduous role as the tessitura seems quite high with long stretches of singing requiring great breath control and unflagging emotional commitment. In the years which followed, Konya's singing became more effortful and took on a throaty texture so I am very glad to have this performance to remind me of his greatest qualities. There's a fine sample of Konya's Lohengrin here. 

Regine Crespin as Elsa shows off the great warmth of her sound which is full and sensuous: the opposite of the silvery, cool timbre we sometimes hear in this music. Crespin produces some really magnificent piano effects and her "Euch luften" is extraordinary. A few high notes have a trace of desperation - a problem which would become more prominent in future seasons - but she certainly has the power and sweep for the music as phrase follows gorgeous phrase. 

Nell Rankin's sopranoish, linear timbre contrasts well with Crespin. Rankin rarely pushed her chest voice and so she is not a darkish, earthy Ortrud but rather an insinuating and waspish one. This plays well off the brooding, grumbling Telramund of the very fine Walter Cassel; their long scene which opens Act II shows a dysfunctional marriage in vocal terms. As she waits for Elsa to come down from her tower, Rankin tosses out the short and fiendish invocation 'Entweite Gotter!' by skillfully deploying her upper range over the snarling orchestra. The duet of the two women - one of the few instances where Wagner uses two voices in harmony in a sustained passage - ends with my favorite music in the opera (and maybe my favorite Wagnerian music of all!): the orchestral postlude of hopeful reconciliation with its flowing melody in the strings. As Telramund watches his wife follow Elsa into the castle, the mood turns ominous: "Thus does evil enter into that house!"

The vocal slug-fest when the two women meet outside the cathedral is a highlight of the performance as Crespin and Rankin exchange phrases and try to top one another. Elsa 'wins' even though Ortrud has the last word and the last unsettling orchestral 'reminder' as Act II comes to an end, further fanning the doubts which will be Elsa's undoing. Konya's astounding beauty of tone in the phrases where he seeks to calm the distraught Elsa so they can proceed with the wedding mark another high point in his performance.

Ernest Wiemann is a sturdy King Henry; his voice does not radiate absolute security at the extremes of the range, but it's a dark sound and quite powerful. I find his performance very satisfying. 

Calvin Marsh was considered a second-tier singer at the Met during this period. His biographical info is here. Would that we had more singers of his ilk today. In this LOHENGRIN he sings with great clarity and firmness as the Herald, most notably in Act II as he announces the impending marriage of Elsa and her knight, and of the planned expedition against the invading Hungarians which Lohengrin will lead. Marsh sang over 900 performances with the Met and I happened to hear his very last one, a concert reading of TROVATORE which the Company gave at Newport in 1965. He sang di Luna very well, but apparently the Met felt they didn't need him for the New House. Calvin Marsh hasn't been forgotten: he's on YouTube!

Joseph Rosenstock's conducting is very forthright and assured; his tempi tend to be on the fast side and the overall performance lacks the sense of mystery or 'spirituality' that the greatest LOHENGRINs achieve. Still, he musters the forces for a very enjoyable performance. There are a few botched notes in the brass, and the chorus tenors are a little strained by the high-lying phrases in Elsa's Procession to the cathedral.

Listening to this performance after so many years I found that certain passages and inflections had stayed in my subconscious - most notably some of Crespin's dynamic shadings. It was wonderful to hear my first LOHENGRIN again. Thanks, Dmitry!    

Metropolitan Opera House
February 1, 1964 Matinee Broadcast


LOHENGRIN {518}
Wagner-Wagner

Lohengrin...............Sándor Kónya
Elsa....................Régine Crespin
Ortrud..................Nell Rankin
Telramund...............Walter Cassel
King Heinrich...........Ernst Wiemann
Herald..................Calvin Marsh
Noble...................William Stanz
Noble...................Arnold Kirschberg
Noble...................John Trehy
Noble...................Vladimir Chistiakov

Conductor...............Joseph Rosenstock

Comments

[George Weinhouse MD]

I also heard that LOHENGRIN on Sirius. Crespin is excellent. We tend to think of her mainly in terms of the French repertoire, but she really made her mark in the Wagner operas. Her other roles included KUNDRY and SIEGLINDE both broadcast. I believe she actually substituted for Nilsson in a Performance of WALKURE in the '60s. She was great artist and fine teacher. Konya had a fine voice as well. He excelled in Wagner. His WALTHER in MEISTERSINGER was unparalleled. He also sang ERIK in HOLLAENDER.

[Philip]

Crespin also sang four performances of Senta at the Met:

Metropolitan Opera House
January 19, 1963

DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER {62}

Dutchman................George London
Senta...................Régine Crespin
Erik....................Sándor Kónya
Daland..................Giorgio Tozzi
Mary....................Lili Chookasian
Steersman...............George Shirley

Conductor...............Karl Böhm

[DYB]

Yes, it's a great performance, I agree. And I love Konya! Crespin's other Wagner role included Brunnhilde in "Die Walkure." She sang it for Karajan and was really magnificent. I wish I'd seen it live. She never sang the other Brunnhildes.

[Philip]

I always wished Crespin had sung Brangaene, Waltraute ...and the Frickas! Her middle and lower ranges were so clear and warm.

Her recording of the Wesendonck Lieder is my favorite of all versions of that cycle.