Hate the man, love his music...

Richard Wagner does call forth such reactions.

In the case of HGO's LOHENGRIN (seen Sunday 11/8) it was LOVE at first sound for me. Better Half following suit in claiming"That's the best performance of an opera at HGO in some time"!
The five principals, were simply outstanding, and HGOStudio Alum Ryan McKinney as Herald appeared to have absorbed some of that magic. He sounded and looked impressive. A Wagner singer in the making?

Guenther Groissboeck, Bass, as King Heinrich, had a warm, rich voice and endowed the role with a humanity rarely seen. He gave strong dignity to his portrayal, that was truly astounding.

Simon O'Neill came out, and there it was, that sound of a real 'Tenor" as Heldentenor, burnished, clear, brimming with beauty, ringing with shining high notes. He held onto that magical power to sway hearts and ears throughout the performance.

Soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, an Elsa of unsurpassed beauty in sound and looks (yeah, she did combine the two) has an agile and flexible voice allowing her to switch between 'sound and fury' and 'sound and sweetness' with nary a glitch., projecting a glorious sound into the house OVER the strong orchestra.

Long time ago Studio Alumnus Richard Paul Fink, whom I've seen/heard as Telramund in a previous HGO production, was back. His portrayal of the ambitious, greedy, and, alas, hag ridden by his even more ambitious wife Ortrud, to become oblivious to honorable behaviour, gave a striking performance although, to my ears, his voice has lost some of the warmth for which he is admired.

Christine Goerke, Mezzo, sang Ortrud, witchy, ambitious wife of Telramund, with a very strong, albeit rather metallic sound, which may have grated on some ears. For me, her voice failed to sound out Ortrud's evilness. A woman who dabbles and tries to use black arts against Lohengrin's white power. But that is strictly my feeling.
The majority of the audience present (and it looked like a sold out house !) were rather more vocal in applauding Goerke and O'Neill, than Pieczonka and Fink.

Maestro Summers and the HGO Orchestra triumphed with Wagner's music. The winds did an out standing job. Having the orchestra pit fully open, unlike the real Bayreuth pit, also made a huge difference in the way the audience heard the music. Since the lead singers were equally strong they were able to project their voices almost effortlessly above the huge orchestral sound.

Say what one will about the human being Wagner with his biases, the musician Wagner must be admired.
An opera of over 4 hours with 2 intermissions, which flew by, leaving the audience wishing for more .... That is a marvellous experience.

Alas, ONLY 2 more performances, Friday Nov. 13 and Sunday Afternoon, November 15.
Leaving you with a snippet of music from Lohengrin.