Munich looks Elsa-where to South African
mainAnja Harteros has dropped out of this afternoon’s Bavarian State Opera Lohengrin.
Her replacement is Johanni van Oostrum from Pretoria.
Big step up.
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Huge success.
She’s brilliant, I love her.
I was at the performance last evening. Johanni van Oostrum was a stunning Elsa. A completely worthy replacement for Anya Harteros
This is no surprise. Van Oostrum has had big successes as Salome and Grete (Der Ferne Klang) in Graz, Agathe on tour with Laurence Equilbey, the Marschallin in Berlin, Chrysothemis in Bonn and Elsa in Weimar. She is as close to the legendary Elisabeth Gruemmer or Lisa della Casa as one is likely to hear today. In terms of purity of vocal line, beauty of tone and acting ability, she is leagues ahead of Harteros. Lucky Bayerische Staatsoper Lohengrin-goers.
She was very nervous and gasping for air the 1st act yesterday: her Einsam in truben Tage was erratic. She became more confident as the opera went on– a lazy production btw, with vile scenery and a ridiculous decision to have the citizens of Brabant appear to commit suicide at the end.