Lohengrin (Covent Garden - new production)

[Bert Coules]

To answer (at least partially) my own question I see that The Friends does indeed still exist and that access to dress rehearsals (and "enhanced access" at a higher level of membership) is listed as one of the benefits. What I haven't discovered, and what I hope someone here might be kind enough to tell me, is what charge or charges are made for dress rehearsal tickets and just what the higher subscription brings in the way of enhancement.

Many thanks.

[Bryn]

To answer (at least partially) my own question I see that The Friends does indeed still exist and that access to dress rehearsals (and "enhanced access" at a higher level of membership) is listed as one of the benefits. What I haven't discovered, and what I hope someone here might be kind enough to tell me, is what charge or charges are made for dress rehearsal tickets and just what the higher subscription brings in the way of enhancement.

Many thanks.

From the Friends site:

"How much do tickets cost? #
Ticket prices vary depending on seat location, and range between £5 and £23"

[Ein Heldenleben]

To answer (at least partially) my own question I see that The Friends does indeed still exist and that access to dress rehearsals (and "enhanced access" at a higher level of membership) is listed as one of the benefits. What I haven't discovered, and what I hope someone here might be kind enough to tell me, is what charge or charges are made for dress rehearsal tickets and just what the higher subscription brings in the way of enhancement.

Many thanks.

The exact rehearsal privileges each tier of Friends Membership brings is complicated but it is set out in detail on the ROH website . Essentially the £99 p.a. base level membership gets you one ticket per booking period . In a booking period you would typically get 3 opera rehearsals and 3 ballet but you can only pick one initially .
About a week after these go on sale an additional ticket booking opens you can then get more tickets though these will almost certainly be in the slips or lo/high amphitheatre seat numbers . In the last three weeks or so I've been to La Boheme (amphi row P £20 - not a good seat ) , Don Giovanni ( lowers slips but not too far round £6 ) and last week Falstaff row A (£20) . The latter was my first pick - the other two I picked up in the additional rehearsal booking periods . Last week Simon Boccanegra went on sale - even though I was very quick off the mark I'm pretty much to the side of amphi row b but the ticket is a mere £6.00 - an incredible bargain. Next week the additional rehearsal period opens - there is only one other opera on offer - Hansel and Gretel. The next booking period features Queen Of Spades , Kat'a Kabanova and Cosi .

PS there was no open rehearsal of Lohengrin nor any planned for the Ring . One or two of the Friends I met last week were wondering why not...

[Bert Coules]

Many thanks for the detailed replies. I'm sorry they were necessary if the info is available on the ROH site, but I didn't see it there. Please blame the damned heat.

[Darkbloom]

Maybe I'm alone in this, but my interest tends to wane after Act One. There are many good things in the rest of it but it doesn't hang together so well. Some people complain that Heinrich's exposition at the start is too prosaic but i think it's one of the better traditional bass roles, although it can't be compared to the kind of parts Wagner would go on to write. I'd put the first act of Lohengrin up there with Act One of Walkure as one of the most dramatically satisfying spans of music drama he ever wrote.

[Bert Coules]

That's interesting. Ernest Newman famously claimed that the second act was composed last: I don't believe that any other commentator agrees but I do find the Elsa/Ortrud scene far and away the most dramatic and gripping exchange in the whole show, so maybe there is something in it. For acts as a whole, though I don't tend to think of the works in that way, I can see your point.

[David-G]

Maybe I'm alone in this, but my interest tends to wane after Act One. There are many good things in the rest of it but it doesn't hang together so well. Some people complain that Heinrich's exposition at the start is too prosaic but i think it's one of the better traditional bass roles, although it can't be compared to the kind of parts Wagner would go on to write. I'd put the first act of Lohengrin up there with Act One of Walkure as one of the most dramatically satisfying spans of music drama he ever wrote.

Oh, I think Act 2 is terrific! Highly dramatic with the most memorable music.

[Prommer]

The exact rehearsal privileges each tier of Friends Membership brings is complicated but it is set out in detail on the ROH website

Interesting. Do you know if enhanced membership (Premium Friend etc) gets you access to more dress rehearsals, as opposed to simply enabling you to book more tickets to the ones currently advertised as open?

[LHC]

Interesting. Do you know if enhanced membership (Premium Friend etc) gets you access to more dress rehearsals, as opposed to simply enabling you to book more tickets to the ones currently advertised as open?

As I understand it, it simply allows you to book more tickets for the same open dress rehearsals at an earlier date (ie there aren't any secret dress rehearsals that are only accessible to the super rich):


Premium 2 Friends may purchase four rehearsal tickets at the same time as buying performance tickets.
Premium 1 Friends may purchase two rehearsal tickets at the same time as buying performance tickets, and then have the option to buy a further two at a later date.
All other levels of membership may buy rehearsal tickets at a later date. Supporting Friends and Friends+ may buy two rehearsal tickets at this stage and Friends, Young Friends and Senior Friends may buy one ticket only.
Subject to availability, at a later date all levels of Friend have the option to buy the remaining tickets from their allocation (coming to a total of four per booking period).

It does seem very complicated. Although I have a Friends+ membership, I haven't booked for rehearsals for several years as I can't usually attend at the times when rehearsals are on.

[duncan]

Currently being revived with no changes in the production that I could detect. The principles are all very good and Brandon Jovanovich a strong and more conventional Wagnerian tenor than Vogt. The chorus were tremendous. Overall, an improvement on the first run.

[Belgrove]

I attended the rehearsal for this and was please to be reacquainted with a work not seen or heard in many years. The opening scene’s relevance to the present, a land invaded ‘from the East’ and an appeal to raise an army to defend the realm, was striking, not least through being set relatively contemporaneously. It’s a rather traditional romantic opera with the musical innovations of what was to come occasionally rising to the surface, a descending phrase on the trombone is a prototype for the Spear motif... The scene between Telramund and Ortrud in Act 2 is the dramatic highlight, signposting the big confrontations between characters that Wagner was to later master. The explosions from the orchestra at the blasphemies uttered by Ortrud during this scene were suitably terrifying, and Jakub Hrůša’s conducting throughout was compelling, sustaining tension and drive in a long work that can drag. The production emphasised the subsidiary political aspects whilst failing to address the major religious themes in the text, especially the confrontation between paganism and Christianity. The chorus was magnificent (although required to perform some dodgy, old fashioned and rather unconvincing stagecraft). A warning of the production is, when it comes to leadership, to be careful what you wish for. Another prescient message for the present.

The Royal Opera really is on something of a role at the moment, perhaps the influence of Oliver Mears’ leadership after Holten’s abrupt departure and the difficult trials of the pandemic is finally bearing fruit. He’s now had time to shape the repertory, and the next season has some attractive features.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Grimes had very familiar names - Terfel, Tomlinson et al. But looking at the programme for the rest of the season many of the performers are unknown to me -particularly in Lohengrin and Otello. (I acknowledge Samson & D and Cav and Pag have some very familiar names (can't wait to hear Ermonela Jaho again....).

I feel somewhat out of touch, but I'm glad to hear that Lohengrin is continuing ROH's roll on sparkling productions with well cast singers (and I always appreciate the chorus when its on fine form). I'm now looking forward to Lohengrin, and, I'm feeling more confident about the casting for Otello now, given the vocal challenges it presents......

I took part in Hrusa's recent Beethoven 9 and apart from being a friendly and helpful conductor (at the same time as asserting what he wanted) he was really inspiring. Can't say I've sung the ninth at the RFH before, but it was certainly memorable for me - and the audience seemed very appreciative - standing ovation, etc.......

[LHC]

I attended the rehearsal for this and was please to be reacquainted with a work not seen or heard in many years. The opening scene’s relevance to the present, a land invaded ‘from the East’ and an appeal to raise an army to defend the realm, was striking, not least through being set relatively contemporaneously. It’s a rather traditional romantic opera with the musical innovations of what was to come occasionally rising to the surface, a descending phrase on the trombone is a prototype for the Spear motif... The scene between Telramund and Ortrud in Act 2 is the dramatic highlight, signposting the big confrontations between characters that Wagner was to later master. The explosions from the orchestra at the blasphemies uttered by Ortrud during this scene were suitably terrifying, and Jakub Hrůša’s conducting throughout was compelling, sustaining tension and drive in a long work that can drag. The production emphasised the subsidiary political aspects whilst failing to address the major religious themes in the text, especially the confrontation between paganism and Christianity. The chorus was magnificent (although required to perform some dodgy, old fashioned and rather unconvincing stagecraft). A warning of the production is, when it comes to leadership, to be careful what you wish for. Another prescient message for the present.

The Royal Opera really is on something of a role at the moment, perhaps the influence of Oliver Mears’ leadership after Holten’s abrupt departure and the difficult trials of the pandemic is finally bearing fruit. He’s now had time to shape the repertory, and the next season has some attractive features.

I was at the opening night and agree with all you say. I'd also add that the cast was really strong, and this was one of the most consistently well sung performances of a Wagner opera I've seen at the Opera House for some time. Jennifer Davis was a former Young Artists, and leapt to stardom when she stepped into the part of Elsa at short notice when this production was premiered, and she really impressed again. A fabulous voice, clear and easy throughout the range, and the part seemingly held no problems for her. Anna Smirnova was sensational as Ortrud, and she and Craig Colclough as Telramund played their scene in Act 2 for all it is worth. I was also very impressed with Brandon Jovanovich as Lohengrin. He has a lovely head voice, which he used to great effect in Act 1, but unlike Vogt he sang this last time, he also has an heroic ringing tenor when needed.

The friends I went with agreed that was (yet another) great night at the Opera.

This is really turning into an excellent season for the Opera House. In fairly quick succession I have seen Jenufa, Theodora, Peter Grimes and Lohengrin. All of them would have been considered highlights in any other season, so to have them all in one season has been a real thrill.