Wagner: Lohengrin Marseille 1983 Remedios, Evans, Rysanek, McIntyre, Furst

Act 2: 01.00.46, Act 3: 02.26.15
This is the performance 0f 17 December 1983, the only one in which Anne Evans sang Elsa, flying in as a last minute replacement for Marita Napier to give a wonderfully sung, heartfelt performance. Good, too, to have the sincere, beautifully sung Lohengrin of Alberto Remedios singing the title role in the original language.
To quote Tony Meyer’s review for”Opera” “Although Ortrud scarcely utters a sound, Rysanek's imposing presence dominated the first act, and in the second her singing, unimpaired by the passing of the years, towered over that of the other members of the cast. Although Furst’s slow tempi in the Ortud-Telramund duet occasionally taxes Rysanek and McIntyre, they are splendidly characterised, steeped in evil.
Furst’s tempi are on the slow side, especially in Act 2, yet the ending of the opera is despatched at a very brisk tempo that would have been welcome earlier.
The photos of Leonie Rysanek are from New York, San Francisco and Vienna.