Roberto Alagna

Roberto Alagna

LOHENGRIN - STAATSOPER BERLIN

Opera

Romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner,
first performed in 1850. 
 
 

Performances

 

Staatsoper Berlin unter der Linden

 

 

13 décembre 2020

 

Cancelled : Covid 19

19 décembre 2020

22 décembre 2020

28 décembre 2020

30 décembre 2020

03 janvier 2021

Cast

 

Roberto Alagna (Lohengrin) Taking on the role

 

Matthias Pintscher - Direction Musicale

Calixto Bieito - Mise en scène

Rebecca Ringst - Scénographie

Ingo Krügler - Costumes

 

 

 

René Pape - Heinrich le vogler 

Roberto Alagna - Lohengrin 

Vida Mikneviciute - Elsa de Brabant  

Marti Gantner - Friedrich von Telramund 

Ekaterina Gubanova - Ortrud 

 

 

 

Orchestre et choeurs Staatsoper Berlin unter der Linden 

 

 

 

Press Review

 
 

MerkerOnline - Ursula Wiegand 

 
❝Alagna's Lohengrin is full of zest for life and spiritual power.  He fills the role with charm and warmth and never sounds brutally threatening. His sung German is surprisingly good. I like the timbre of his tenor.❞ 
 
EXCERPT (translated from German): “I like the timbre of Alagna's tenor. His Lohengrin isn’t a Wagnerian warrior from the gray North, but a sailor from the sunny Mediterranean shores, full of zest for life. He doesn’t defeat his rival with weapons, but with spiritual power. I find his sung German surprisingly good, yet this Wagner‘s language with which he is unfamiliar was certainly not a given for him. On balance, he did a good job at this premiere and filled the role with charm and warmth. His “Nie sollst Du mich befragen” doesn't sound as brutally threatening as I heard from other performers.
 
 
 

Teatro.it - Gilberto Mion

 
❝Exciting interpretation by Alagna, youthful freshness, vibrant heroism, wide and strong vocal line, generous diction, incisive phrasing, resonant bright singing. A touch of Mediterranean sensuality so that impetus, passion and tragedy merge completely together❞ 
 
EXCERPT (translated from Italian): “A cast of excellence - The voices do not disappoint Wagner's fans | Roberto Alagna should have debuted in the difficult role of Lohengrin - his first attempt in the great German repertoire - two years ago in Bayreuth, but he had to renounce eventually. So it’s a nice revenge and a well-deserved achievement. In the exciting interpretation of the French-Sicilian tenor and in the features of his mysterious warrior, we see youthful freshness and vibrant heroism; the vocal line is wide and firm, the diction generous, the phrasing incisive, the singing resonant and bright. It’s natural, among other things, that the vocal line Alagna adopted to create Parsifal's son, is the one that proceeds from Melchior to Domingo – and therefore not only noble and sensitive, but also with a touch of Mediterranean sensuality - so that operatic impetus, passion and tragedy completely merge together.”
 
 
 
 
 

Das Opernglas - Ursula Ehrensberger - January 2021

 
 
❝In this showpiece for Heldentenor, Roberto Alagna was able to put his own personal stamp on the role. In accordance with his voice type, Alagna approached Wagner’s hero with a mixture of Italian Belcanto culture and French elegance, with his bomb-proof top range benefiting him, not only in a radiant "Es heißt der Gral”, and with sensitive impressive melting piani. It’s worth emphasizing how clear and intelligible Alagna’s text was, proof of an intensive preparatory work. ❞ 
 
 
EXCERPT (translated from German): “The story of an obstacle role-debut ended that night in front of the cameras. It was the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden that finally ensured the right to feature the tenor star's first Lohengrin. This project, too, would almost fall victim to the second Corona shutdown if the broadcaster Arte Concert hadn't stepped in with a slightly delayed TV streaming, under the somewhat provocative motto of "We remain open". Due to the broadcast starting at 10:20 p.m., it was almost 2:00 a.m. when Alagna alias Lohengrin finally revealed the secret of his identity in the Grail Tale. But the waiting was worth it, because the Frenchman with Sicilian roots was also able to put his own personal stamp on this role in this showpiece for Heldentenor. In accordance with his voice type, Alagna approached Wagner’s hero with a mixture of Italian Belcanto culture and French elegance, where his bomb-proof top range benefited him, not only in a radiant "Es heißt der Gral ”. Nevertheless, this Swan Knight made the most lasting impression when he showed his completely anti-heroic and sensitive side, making us hear melting piani in “Elsa ich liebe dich“ or “Willst du die Frage an mich tun?”. Last but not least, it is worth emphasizing how clear and intelligible Alagna’s text was, which proves an intensive preparatory work. ”
 
 

Classiquenews - Enst Van Beck - 18 décembre 2020 

 
❝Powerful, clear, wide medium never forced, great style, true intensity, committed and incandescent presence, virile determination, the requisite mastery of vibrato and the expressive ardor befitting the character of the Savior Knight ❞
 
EXCERPT (translated from French): “As an act of resistance against the asphyxiation from which opera houses are suffering in Europe, the Berlin State Opera has succeeded in the challenge of featuring Lohengrin on stage in December 2020, without audience but broadcast behind closed doors, through the internet, so that everyone from their living room or any connected screen (opera at home) can appreciate the artistic challenges of this new Wagnerian production in Berlin. A major asset is Roberto Alagna's role debut as the title role, brightening up a deeply depressed global lyrical planet. The Frenchman plays the knight who came down from the sky to save the honor of Princess Elsa von Brabant.
Powerful, clear, tight like a steel blade, with the requisite mastery of vibrato and the expressive ardor befitting the character of the savior knight, Roberto Alagna embodies with great style and true intensity, the righteous, radiant figure of the prophetic knight (all the more that the medium is wide, never forced). The valiant Celestial shines with virile determination, a presence that is often committed, sometimes incandescent. Underlining all that is Italian in the part of a Latinized Lohengrin. ”
 
 

operaeopera.com - Natalia Di Bartolo - 20 décembre 2020

 
❝A protagonist of a very refined kind and endless exploration, mediating with a strong personality between Thill and the great German performers of the tradition. Full spiritual ease. Nuanced phrasing and great attention to the style. High-class, tasteful, tranquil interpretation with no excess, neither vocal nor scenic. Ethereal and deliberately almost angelic on the stage floor. Fluent pronunciation. Mastery of the tessitura’s difficulties. ❞ 
 
EXCERPT (translated from Italian): “On his debut in the title role, Roberto Alagna appeared on stage with full spiritual ease; he let us foresee that and then confirmed the anticipation: there was no excess on his part, neither vocal nor scenic : tasteful, homogeneous, tranquil, nuancing his phrasing with a great attention to the style, the famous tenor played Lohengrin by moderating the Teutonic impetus of the role and eliminating any outrageousness. He seemed just to rest on the stage floor, he was ethereal, deliberately almost angelic in his movements. However, with an unusual and high-class interpretation, there was no denying that vocally the Wagnerian hero was all there and was only himself: no indulging in any character from the immense Italian or French repertoire that the great tenor has always been familiar with.  Roberto Alagna, for the first time cast in a role of the German repertoire, "was" Lohengrin, also in the fluency of the pronunciation, in dealing with the tessitura’s difficulties, culminating in the scene of the bridal chamber and above all in the finale in an interpretation of the finest vocal quality. A sort of hero-anti-hero, therefore, without distorting either the character nor the role at all, but rather imposing himself as a protagonist of a very refined kind and endless exploration, mediating with a strong personality between Thill and the great German performers of the tradition. All this leads us to hope to hear and see him again in the same role soon.”
 
 
 

OperaClick - Ingrid Haas - 17 décembre 2020

 
❝A complete triumph for Roberto Alagna in his first Lohengrin. Vocal elegance, clear German diction, stage presence reminding that this knight comes really from another world. Phrasing his music with elegance, his voice at ease with the role, bright tone, shiny high notes and the meaty quality to face the dramatic moments of the score.  His ‘In fernem Land’ was very touching, more human.  His Lohengrin is full of nuances, showing goodness, strength and uniqueness among the other characters ❞ 
 
EXCERPT: “One of the most anticipated role debuts in the opera world happened at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin: French tenor Roberto Alagna’s first Lohengrin. It is not surprising that he decided to sing the role of the knight of the Grail. This role is one of the most lyrical and “Italian” within the Wagnerian operatic catalogue and it has also gorgeous music to sing. Staatsoper assembled a wonderful cast which attracted the attention of all the audience worldwide. […]
Roberto Alagna sang Lohengrin with his usual vocal elegance, with clear German diction and a stage presence that reminded us that this knight comes really from another world more pure and kind than the one in which the action takes place. The staging didn’t give Lohengrin’s entrance the magical and ethereal atmosphere that traditional productions might give this moment but the beauty of Alagna’s “Nun sei bedankt, mein lieber Schwan” compensated the lack of mysticism from the staging and he also looked dashing in his white suit. In this production the “Schwan” that carried Lohengrin to Brabant is just a paper swan (in origami style) that Alagna had in his hand in the moment he appears on stage. His Lohengrin is full of nuances, showing the character’s goodness but also his strength and, at certain point, his uniqueness, among the rest of the characters. He was the only man dressed in a lighter colored suit (creamy white) with the word “Liebe” (love) in the back of his jacket. Alagna’s voice felt at ease with the role, singing it with bright tone, shiny high notes and phrasing his music with elegance. One of the vocal highlights of his performance, apart from his two arias, was the duet with Elsa “Das süsse Lied verhallt; wir sind allein”, where he showed his voice has the meaty quality to face the dramatic moments of the score. He had a good counterpart in Vida Miknevičiūtė’s tormented Elsa. His “In fernem Land” was very touching, less heroic, more human, showing Lohengrin’s disappointment and sadness over Elsa’s betrayal. A triumph for Roberto Alagna! […]
The singing and the playing of the orchestra in this performance in Berlin gave us the grandeur and beauty of Wagner’s score.It was a complete triumph for Roberto Alagna in his first Lohengrin [and tour-de-force performance]. ”
 
 
 
✪ LOHENGRIN Staatsoper Unter den Linden – REVIEW | ❝Alagna succeeds hands down his Wagnerian bet. Panache, valiance, style, tone, diction, projection, breath are there. In his singing the emotion and humanity culminate. As if this Lohengrin were a self-evidence to him❞ by ombramaifu.simdif.com
EXCERPT (from French) : “In the darkness of the sinister and irrecoverable world by Calixto Bieito, only the bright glow of Roberto Alagna radiates, who succeeds hands down his Wagnerian bet. We can only greet the accomplishment of the French tenor who managed to reconnect with the memory of George Thill, performing this major role in addition in German and on a German stage; And ô surprise, the panache, the valiance, the style, the tone, the diction, the projection, the breath are there, with that Mediterranean grace that befits so well the hero who emerged from Montsalvat. The naturalness and ease are there too, as if this Lohengrin were a self-evidence to him. But above all, he conveys the emotion and humanity in his singing, that culminate with him in the last act with an infinite sobriety.”
 
 
 
✪ LOHENGRIN Staatsoper Unter den Linden – REVIEW | ❝Panache and vocal refinement. Remarkable fitting into Bieito’s conception❞ by James Jorden for Observer
EXCERPT: 
“Tenor Roberto Alagna took on his first Wagner role with panache and vocal refinement. Perhaps most remarkable of all is how Alagna fit into Bieito’s conception. The tenor is usually romantic and fiery on stage, whatever the role, but here he seemed to recede. Even Lohengrin’s great solo “Höchstes Vertraun,” in which the knight reminds Elsa of how much she should be grateful for his rescue of her, took on an unexpectedly sinister interpretation. The hero sounded pompous and self-pitying as he mansplained; meanwhile, Miknevičiūtė glared resentfully. The immaculate playing of the State Opera orchestra and, in particular, the lively and propulsive conducting of Matthias Pintscher, would sound world-class at the best of times. Under the current adverse conditions, their music making was simply a miracle.”
 
 
 
 
✪ LOHENGRIN Staatsoper Unter den Linden – REVIEW | ❝A successful evening. A well flowing large tenor which vocally leaves nothing to be desired. An astonishingly good German articulation. An atmospheric and most radiant Grail Telling in Act 3❞ by Christian Konz for MERKEROnline
EXCERPT (translated from German): 
“Roberto Alagna's debut as Lohengrin was eagerly awaited. And we can say that he vocally leaves nothing to be desired: His flowing, large tenor flows well through the phrases. His German articulation is astonishingly good […]. He succeeds well in his Grail Telling in the third act – it is atmospheric and most radiant. […] Thanks to mostly excellent singing performances, it is an overall successful evening. One wishes and hopes for everyone involved, that this can soon be shown in front of an audience.” 
 
 
✪ LOHENGRIN
Staatsoper Unter den Linden
- REVIEW | ❝A solemn interpretation with a sense of sacredness. Vocally, Roberto Alagna dominated the part in an authoritative way❞ by Bernd Hoppe for
L'Opera - International Magazine
EXCERPT (translated from Italian): “Roberto Alagna's eagerly awaited debut as the title hero was certainly a reason to let the premiere take place. The tenor created a solemn interpretation with a sense of sacredness: Lohengrin is a kind of stranger who came from another world to bring a new and different message to confused humanity, subject to fallacy and deception, in need of guidance. On a vocal level Roberto Alagna dominated the part in an authoritative way, relying on an articulated and incisive declamation, which highlighted the most important moments of the part, from the greeting to the Swan, to the duel with Telramund, the duet with Elsa and to the great Grail narration that concludes the work.”
 
✪ LOHENGRIN Staatsoper Unter den Linden – REVIEWS | ❝Alagna is an asset of this new production. A debut full of light flexibility. An expressive performance. Powerful and moving top notes. High quality of vocal performances, care for phrasing❞ 
EXCERPTS (translated from German): 
“In a white suit, Roberto Alagna sings his way through his role debut, full of light flexibility. Like all great tenors, he assumes that on stage he is always the hero, the adored or longing lover. Bieito can think what he wants. Alagna is an asset of this new production. (By Volker Blech for Berliner Morgenpost, translated from German) 
“Roberto Alagna shows an expressive performance as Lohengrin. The tenor conjures up the top notes in a powerful and moving manner.” (By Alexander Walther for MERKEROnline, translated from German)
“The vocal performances were of high quality. Franco-Italian tenor Roberto Alagna and Lithuanian soprano Vida Miknevičiūtė made their role debuts as Lohengrin and Elsa of Brabant. Alagna depicted an idealist, self-centred, not-so-heroic hero: his interpretation had something creepy that seemed to fit the role according to the director's intentions. […] Good care for phrasing.” (By Lorenzo Fiorito for Bachtrack)
 
 
 

Gallery



28/09/2020