Wagner: Lohengrin Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Wagner: Lohengrin Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 16, 2019

Who knew Richard Wagner's Lohengrin was evidently about the Energy Crisis? That seems to be just one of several rather odd subtexts that this sometimes bizarrely staged but well sung and especially well played production offers. I've joked in the past about so-called EuroTrash operatic endeavors, but I might joke again by saying this might be better termed as EuroStash, in that I had the distinct feeling that someone may have indulged in some kind of controlled substance before coming up with some of the visuals on display.

For those unfamiliar with Lohengrin, I refer you to my Wagner: Lohengrin 4K Blu-ray review, which coincidentally features some of the same performers.

Wagner: Lohengrin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lohengrin is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. This Bayreuth Festival production is a riot of blue, as can probably be made out in several of the screenshots accompanying this review, and it also has several long sequences played out in near darkness, both of which can tend to deflate fine detail levels at times. Some of the wide shots that take in the entire proscenium seem to look a little wonky at times, as if one of the cameras or lenses was out of whack, but close-ups generally offer very good detail levels when lighting allows.

Wagner: Lohengrin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Lohengrin features robust sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 and LPCM 2.0 mixes. The surround mix captures more the depth and width of the orchestra, offering a really nice, realistic soundstage that recreates the hall acoustics and dynamics. Christian Thielemann's conducting is typically astute, offering at times overpowering orchestral crescendos that can occasionally bury soloists. But the singing here is generally superb, and is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free track.

Wagner: Lohengrin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The disc's sole "extra" is a so-called Weblink. The insert booklet has a good synopsis and background information.

Wagner: Lohengrin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Had Richard Wagner been a fan of magic mushrooms, I dare say he might have come up with this Lohengrin, which sometimes plays like a bizarro world version of Alice in Wonderland. The physical production is striking, if undeniably outré, but it's the singing and especially playing that should recommend this most strongly to Wagner diehards. For the faithful if for no one else, this version of Lohengrin comes Recommended.