The season ended with a heavy-handed Lohengrin. The grim, skeletal sets and static production did little to realize the pace and growing excitement of the score. Napoleone Annovazzi seemed in no hurry, savouring every Italianate phrase, but this did little to build climaxes or keep the pace going. Titziana Sojat (Elsa) has a lovely, creamy voice but had no opportunity to act, and Ruggero Orofino handled the title-role smoothly. Only Pauline Tinsley injected any real emotion in her sterling Ortrud, even putting up with the producer’s strange decision to stick her prominently down-stage for the whole of Act 1.

IAN FOX | April 1984