| Scene and lyrics: |
Wagner's Romantische Oper Lohengrin (1850),
the Romantic Opera par excellence, takes place in Antwerp during
the first half of the X century. The plot line was derived
from numerous sources. The fundamental nucleus may be traced
to a German poem called Lorengel written about XIII century
by a Thuringian story teller and elaborated a bit later by
an anonymous Bavarian. Based on Wagner's libretto, Lohengrin
had its world premiere at the Grand Ducal Court Theatre, Weimar,
and was conducted by Franz Liszt, Wagner's father-in-law. The
premiere was significant since Wagner was conspicuously absent
in political exile at Lucerne, Switzerland. Lohengrin's fluent
vocality found great popularity especially in Latin countries.
There is little doubt that this opera represents a milestone
in Wagner's plan for Gesamtkunstwerk or total opera: the effort
to break the closed form of arias and land on a declamatory
style which reaches early and supreme expressive results in
Lohengrin.
The scene in Lohengrin act III scene 2 depicts day break
over a prairie and the banks of the Schelde River. The army
has gathered in full armour and king Heinrich der Vogler arrives
followed by his commanders. Elsa is also present. Parsifal'
son and one of the Sacred Grail's bravest cavaliers, Lohengrin,
steps forward and reminisces to the tensely attentive gathering.
In the famous aria In fernem Land, Lohengrin "talks about
Montsalvat, the legendary fortress placed in lands far away,
keeping the Sacred Grail. He talks about his father Parsifal
and finally reveals the most kept and long awaited secret:
his name. He is the cavalier, and his name is Lohengrin. The
revelation implies that he must go away forever. the moment
was feared but internally was always awaited... that love was
just not destined to be. It was an impossible and furtive dream."
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| Note: The text within inverted commas was written by our Forum
member Mr. Rodrigo Andres Zumaeta to whom I am particularly thankful. |
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| German and Italian Lyrics: |
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In fernem Land,
unnahbar euren Schritten,
liegt eine Burg,
die Montsalvat genannt;
ein lichter Tempel
stehet dort inmitten,
so kostbar,
als auf Erden nichts bekannt;
drin ein Gefäß
von wundertät'gem Segen
wird dort als höchstes
Heiligtum bewacht:
Es ward, daß sein
der Menschen reinste pflegen,
herab von einer Engelschar gebracht;
alljährlich naht
vom Himmel eine Taube,
um neu zu stärken seine Wunderkraft:
Es heißt der Gral,
und selig reinster Glaube
erteilt durch ihn
sich seiner Ritterschaft.
Wer nun dem Gral
zu dienen ist erkoren,
den rüstet er mit überird'scher
Macht;
an dem ist jedes Bösen Trug verloren,
wenn ihn er sieht,
weicht dem des Todes Nacht.
Selbst wer
von ihm in ferne Land' entsendet,
zum Streiter für
der Tugend Recht ernannt,
dem wird nicht seine
heil'ge Kraft entwendet,
bleibt als sein Ritter
dort er unerkannt.
So hehrer Art doch ist
des Grales Segen,
enthüllt - muß er
des Laien Auge fliehn;
des Ritters drum sollt Zweifel
ihr nicht hegen,
erkennt ihr ihn -
dann muß er von euch ziehn.
Nun hört,
wie ich verbotner Frage lohne!
Vom Gral ward
ich zu euch daher gesandt:
Mein Vater Parzival
trägt seine Krone,
sein Ritter ich -
bin Lohengrin genannt.
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Da voi lontan, in sconosciuta terra
Havvi un
castel, che ha nome Montsalvato
Là un sacro tempio una
foresta serra
Di gemme senza pari e d’oro ornato.
Ivi una coppa, che del
cielo è dono,
Guardata è qual reliquia del Signor,
A lor che di virtù campioni
sono,
Un angiol la portò sull’ali d’or!
Ogni anno
una colomba vien dal cielo
A rinnovare il santo suo poter!
Essa è il San Graal, e forza e
santo zelo
Infonde in seno dei suoi cavalier.
Chi del San Graal è a
cavaliere eletto,
Munito è di potere sovruman;
Inerte è contro lui l’inganno
abbietto,
Di ucciderlo si attenta ognun invan!...
E
se mandato egli è in lontana terra
L’onore e
la virtude a sostener,
Ei resta vincitore in ogni guerra
Poichè lo scorta
un magico poter!
Però, del Graal chi scopre il velo
arcano,
Dal guardo dei profani de’ fuggir!!!
Apparve a voi cotal
segreto strano;
Tosto deggio partir!
Di voi, prodi, or si dia risposta degna:
Del Graal qui mi
traeva il gran voler…
Mio padre, Parsifal, in esso
regna,
Son Lohengrin, suo figlio e cavalier!
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| Note – The German
lyrics marked in red are those referred to in the critical
analysis. |
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| Choice: |
| For the Audio Files of the Month, my main choice is Ben Heppner
singing Lohengrin's aria "In fernem Land" from act
III of Wagner's Lohengrin, recorded in 1995. My second choice
is Aureliano Pertile singing the same aria in Italian recorded
in 1927. I also include Lauritz Melchior's rendition in 1939
for a glimpse of his highly acclaimed Heldentenor roles. |
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| Historical Notes: |
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| Ben Heppner - "A native of British Columbia, Mr. Heppner
studied at the University of British Columbia School of Music.
He first gained national attention in 1979 as the winner of the
Canadian Broadcasting Company Talent Festival. He was the subject
of a documentary for CBC Television's Fifth Estate, a weekly
prime-time news program, in February 1991. He has been a featured
soloist on CBC Radio's stereo broadcast of the Toronto Children's
Chorus Christmas celebration and, in September 1992, starred
in a live CBC broadcast celebrating the tenth anniversary of
Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, where he performed a concert of
German arias with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. He was named
a Vanier Award winner for 1994 by the Toronto Junior Board of
Trade. In December 1998, CBC television's Something Special featured
Ben Heppner in an hour long portrait of the artist. He is a 1988
winner of the Metropolitan Opera auditions and he received a
Grammy Award in 1998 for his recording of Die Meistersinger on
London/Decca records. In Canada, he has won several Juno Awards
for his recordings.
Mr. Heppner is recognized world-wide as the finest dramatic
tenor before the public today. He excels in the most challenging
roles, from Wagner's Tristan and Lohengrin to Verdi's Otello,
Puccini's Turandot and Berlioz' Aeneas. He is acclaimed in
music capitals around the world for his beautiful voice, intelligent
musicianship and sparkling dramatic sense. His performances
on the opera stage, in concert with orchestra, in recital and
on recordings have set new standards in his demanding repertoire." |
| Source: benheppner.com |
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| Critical Analysis: |
| In the Romantische Oper Lohengrin, Wagner keeps to a syntactic
regularity, a schematic of groups of four and eight beats making
up the frame and solid support of the music structure. The leitmotif
technique is gradually developed only from the Ring Cycle onwards.
Lohengrin's apparition as a fulfilment of Elsa's dream is scenically
plausible by virtue of the music more than the vocal score. The
music has motivating property and fundamental function. In fernem
Land is a vocal continuation of the orchestral prelude and the
fulcrum of act III. In terms of romantic opera, it is a piece
between an aria and an arioso. It marks the conclusive moment
of the internal action expressed in music: Lohengrin descends
on earth through the tale of Elsa's dream and takes leave with
the tale of the Grail. The tales illustrate a moment of apparent
pause in the dramatic development but in reality they hold together
the action essential motives. |
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 Listen
to the audio files for July: |
 Copyright
disclaimer |
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 Ben
Heppner: In
fernem Land
Recorded in 1995
Compressed to 32 kbps / 44 KHz, mp3 (mp3PRO enhanced)
Size: 1.38 Mb
› I am deeply indebted to our Forum member Mr. Rodrigo Andres
Zumaeta and my editor Joern H Anthonisen for kindly making
the audio file available.
Aureliano
Pertile: Da
voi lontan
Recorded in 1927 at 42 years of age
Compressed to 32 kbps / 44 KHz, mp3
(mp3PRO enhanced)
Size: 0.99 Mb
› I am deeply indebted to my editor
Joern H Anthonisen for kindly making the audio file available.
Lauritz
Melchior: In
fernem Land
Recorded in 1939 at 49 years of age.
Compressed to 32 kbps / 44 KHz, mp3
(mp3PRO enhanced)
Size: 1.04 Mb
› I am deeply indebted to our Forum member Mr. Rodrigo Andres
Zumaeta and my editor Joern H Anthonisen for kindly making
the audio file available. NB: All
audio files have been removed in accordance with Grandi
Tenori.com's policy on audio files.
 How
do I take advantage of mp3PRO enhanced files? - You
can either download the free mp3PRO player from Thomson,
or if you are using WinAmp version 2.x, download the mp3PRO
plugin for WinAmp. MusicMatch Jukebox version 7.2 and higher
supports mp3PRO encoding whereas Real One Player (Real
Player/Real Jukebox) and Windows Media Audio Player do not.
On these players the files will sound like ordinary mp3s at
the given bitrate.
|
| mp3prozone.com |
| WinAmp
v2.x mp3PRO plugin |
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| Critical analysis: |
Listening to the recording of In fernem Land, Heppner's
German pronunciation is good and clear. The voice is darkish,
bronze, full but also soft, extended and with a brilliant top.
The vocal score reading is accurate and attentive. The whole
rendition is magnificent: the aria starts with a tale telling
recitativo which Heppner sings with great attachment and composure
In fernem Land, unnahbar euren ... als auf Erden nichts
bekannt.
Gebracht; alljährlich naht are beautifully extinguished
to a very soft tone, Wunderkraft: Es heißt der Gral,
are powerful, sure and extended puntature, Ritterschaft
... dann muß er von euch ziehn are pronounced martially.
Dramatic and heroic bursts in the top register abound: ...
Vom Gral ... Krone ... Ritter ich. Surprisingly, bin
Lohengrin is
not a vibrant top note but gennant is beautifully
sculptured.
Listening to the same aria sung in Italian, Pertile's pronunciation
is very good. The whole rendition is languid, eloquent and
dramatic but by no means theatrical. The recitativo is a nostalgic
reminiscence, the accent is always lucid and passionate, the
lines are shelled, marked, vibrant, dramatic, the top notes
particularly Son Lohengrin are made of shining steel and executed
with ease.
Melchior's rendition is sung with clarity of the German.
He reveals baritone-like tones and the fraseggio is not as
varied as Heppner's. Overall, he displays good singing
and epic squilli more than declamatory and stentorian impetus.
His rendition recalls a bit of the Sprechgesang in the voice,
balanced contrapuntally by the accompaniment. |
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| Grandi Tenori.com biographies: |
| Aureliano
Pertile biography |
| Biographies on Ben Heppner and Lauritz Melchior
are under preparation. |
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Note - Recitativo is a style
of singing which reproduces the spoken language naturalness and
flexibility, aria is a musical and melodic vocal piece made up
of strophes, arioso is a musical and expressive piece between
a recitativo and an aria, fraseggio is the expressive articulation
of an aria, puntatura is the attack and sustenance of top notes,
squilli are the neat, powerful, brilliant and piercing top notes
particularly of a tenor.  |
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