Only bass-baritone Gerd Grochowski, as the villainous Telramund, seemed wan and unimposing. There was a gnarled and vengeful quality to her performance that flowered at opportune moments into great bursts of impeccably controlled vocalism.īass Kristinn Sigmundsson was an authoritative presence as King Heinrich, and baritone Brian Mulligan brought smoothness and power to the role of the Herald. More arresting was mezzo-soprano Petra Lang, in a dynamic and theatrically vivid appearance as Ortrud, the old-world sorceress whose machinations set the entire plot in motion. But her performance boasted a telling sense of tragedy, even grandeur, and there was a glowing urgency to her singing in the last act. In her company debut as Elsa, Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund never quite matched that degree of tonal purity or stamina - her singing turned squally under pressure, and there was an acidic quality to some of her more intimate passages. By the time he unburdened himself of his full back story at the end of Act 3, Jovanovich seemed to have acquired even more reserves of vocal energy and power.
His first utterance - a loving farewell to the swan who brings him onto the scene - was electrifying in its clarity and directness. Still, the center of gravity was Jovanovich's characterization of Lohengrin, wearing his air of secrecy as both an invitation and a shield. In the pit, Music Director Nicola Luisotti attacked the score with his customary breathless, impetuous energy, an approach that paid off most tellingly in a fleet-footed account of the great Act 3 prelude, and Ian Robertson's Opera Chorus was a fervent force throughout.
The rest of the cast was largely impressive, even if no one quite matched Jovanovich's intensity and grace, and director Daniel Slater's updated production - despite a handful of obvious missteps - shone an inventive and sometimes revelatory light on the piece. Jovanovich's contribution was only the most alluring aspect of a mostly strong endeavor - the company's first "Lohengrin" since a 1996 production in Bill Graham Civic Auditorium - that largely caught the distinctively mythic timbre of what the composer labeled a "Romantic opera." If you had any lingering doubts about the central plot device in Wagner's mythic tale - that Elsa would agree to marry this stranger on the condition that she not ask about his name or background - the shimmery beauty of Jovanovich's performance would have laid them right to rest.
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