Lohengrin - Complete Opera - Schilling Production, C. Meister & Stuttgart State Opera, M. König, S. Schneider, et al. (2018 Stereo) (2 DVDs) (With Japanese Subtitles) From the Stuttgart State Opera, which is making waves in the European opera scene with its innovative productions, comes Lohengrin, recorded in 2018 just after Cornelius Meister took over as the opera house's music director. The stage direction by Árpád Schilling, a Hungarian director, strips away the mythological surface of this work, "the story of a knight of the swan saving the nation," and boldly reinterprets it to extract questions of human responsibility and trust, and the conflict between the individual and the group (the ending, with Elsa's death, also becomes the execution of a traitor by her own people!). The conductor and orchestra, who respond to the director's intentions, the outstanding cast of singers, and the opera house's chorus, which is highly regarded for its skill, vividly portray this controversial work with rich sound. Lohengrin: Michael König (Tenor) Elsa von Brabant: Simone Schneider (Soprano) Friedrich von Telramund: Martin Gantner (Baritone) Ortrud: Okka von der Damerau (Mezzo-soprano) Heinrich der Vogler: Goran Jurić (Bass) The King's Herald: Shigeo Ishino (Bass), et al. Stuttgart State Opera Chorus Stuttgart State Opera Orchestra Cornelius Meister (Conductor) Stage Direction: Árpád Schilling Set Design: Raimund Orfeo Voigt Costumes: Tina Kumpfken Lighting: Tamás Bányai Recorded: October 2018 Location: Stuttgart State Opera (Live) Running Time: 223 minutes Screen: Color, 16:9 Audio: PCM 2.0 Subtitles: Japanese, English, French, German, Spanish, Korean NTSC Region All