Johan Botha: Gralserzählung ("In fernem Land...") from Wagner's LOHENGRIN

Richard Wagner: Lohengrin
Gralserzählung (In fernem Land, unnahbar euren Schritten...)
3rd Act
Johan Botha (Lohengrin)
The Bavarian State Orchestra
Kent Nagano (Musical direction)
Live recorded at NHK Hall, Tokyo on September 25, 2011

[@jasonberger9570]

one of my favorite recordings of this aria. I was so blessed to have seen Mr. Botha at Tanglewood in a concert performance of act 3 of Meistersinger. His singing was felt through your whole body and with all of your senses. It was lyrical and beautiful yet rich and never lacking in power. I'm so sad that he is no longer with us.

[@carrieestill1180]

He had such a wonderful voice and such a real stage presence. We will miss you.

[@Mralibabarooibakkie]

RIP Johan Botha. Too young. What a pity.

[@traxelable]

This fascinating interpretation shows clearly what we have lost with Johan Botha`s death on Sept 8, 2016. RIP Johan.

[@omairagamboa7821]

Sin temor a equivocarme estamos en presencia de un Lohengrin como ninguno ha habido en el siglo XXI, calidad interpretativa sinigual, un tenor Wagneriano cabal con un timbre de voz aterciopelado de inenarrable belleza, Johan Botha que brille para tí la Luz Perpetua!🙏

[@AnnizeRaath]

Proudly South African. May his soul rest in peace - like I feel in this piece of music. 😢

[@raticida123456]

wow, is so natural for him sing this music

[@waynesmith3767]

What a wonderful reminder of his Lohengrin at Lyric Opera in Chicago! He was thrilling but… one did wonder about his health.

[@billijeanp]

Magical Voice! RIP.

[@juhanipalola9046]

Esine wunderbare Stimme!

[@joga1943]

What a wonderful Voice!

[@schneisi]

By all means R.I.P. my Friend Johan , its a shame that singers have to sing in this modern opera euro trash productions. But more and more start to refuse to do that.

[@errpee8277]

and who are these who refuse? please insert names:

[@borisvandruff7532]

Err Pee I’m not on Botha’s level but the last Regie production I did was back in 2016, and I never will again.

[@judithbereczky4114]

I'm glad you said this. I think the same thing. All these so called modern productions are simple trash. And more are coming. There are no more real artists.

[@DreynHarry]

Most certainly the best hero tenor with the highest and clearest timbre. way better than jonas kaufmann.

[@mariomazzi7894]

Lol-there is absolutely no comparison! Botha owns it!

[@omairagamboa7821]

I do agree, he sings effortlessly, he was a natural heldentenor but also had such velvety voice, amazingly beautiful voice!

[@LABARITONESSA]

ASCOLTATO PROPRIO LI A MONACO DI BAVIERA IN OTELLO.UNA VOCE PODEROSA RICCA DI ARMONICI E SQUILLO CAPACE DI MEZZEVOCI PORTENTOSE.UN VERO PECCATO NON CI SIA PIU :(

[@antonherberthonegger4399]

Was für ein lausiger, lärmfreudiger Dirigent . . .

[@schwesterresty8509]

RIP second Luciano. Velvet voice why do you die so quickly.? Such a voice is rare.

[@AchimKGK]

Spitzenmäßig. Super

[@romearomeo]

RIP Johan Botha

[@MaxLuetgendorff]

Du fehlst mir!

[@damasoasteriscos3338]

Qué pena Johan Botha, era distinto. Que Dios lo acoja.

[@user-pc3pe5qe3o]

wow bravo!

[@cuestionesjuanmurillo9989]

RIP Botha 😢😢😢

[@acacia-bloom]

Botha is going to look much the same in any production. If the production were conservative he wouldn't exactly look like a heroic knight in shiny armor either, would he?

[@MScJorgePoveda]

Requiescat in pace ....

[@angrykiwinz6217]

Why are the chorus wearing blue polos? It looks like a high school production that has somehow roped an A grade star into their midst. Also, as a director, why would you put a larger singer on a tiny chair like that? It could interfere with his support.

[@acacia-bloom]

+Angry KiwiNZ The production was conceived for Jonas Kaufmann who fitted into the chair without any problems. Mr Botha joined the production a couple of seasons after the production premiered - the chances of him even meeting the director are minimal! Any singer today should be able to sit in a chair and sing without any support ptoblems....

[@michaelpotts9069]

+Acacia Bloom Ahhh right! Thanks for the info, that will explain a lot. (Angrykiwi's other account).

[@ursuladietze2094]

I agree - the staging is absolutely awful ! It is a good example for the madness of modern director's theatre ! It must be awful for the poor tenor to perform sitting like that - especially since he is of a fuller figure. Nonetheless, the voice is beautiful!

[@adriantinti6369]

This staging is simply ludicrous....

[@MaxLuetgendorff]

He doesn’t seem to have any problems...

[@Labienus]

Basically you're right-especially since he seems to be getting bigger However in a traditonal production there would be more leeway and costumes could try to do something, and he wouldn't be held to the tyranny of some conceptual production There might be an attempt to do what could help with his appearance, rather than hanging him out to dry on some unforgiving idea

[@deadwalke9588]

Not a Wagnerian tenor by any means (Heldontenor) but, a lovely full lyric tenor voice. Sorry for his lose.

[@sms4801]

Wagnerian should be a Belcanto singer!!! He is perfect! Nowadays so many wagnerian shout like dogs...

[@pl7566]

Have you ever heard him live? Better than any of the others since Winbergh. Sorry for correcting but this was a true Lohengrin voice.

[@mariomazzi7894]

That person probably likes to hear people bark and scream out notes. It’s a shame because Wagner wanted a bel canto sound, hence the late great Botha’s tenor. Some people just need not ever post their stupid opinions.

[@thomaslehmanbaritone]

@@mariomazzi7894 Especially this opera! It's so wonderful to hear it sung so beautifully!!!!!

[@Honken]

Es heißt, de RUUUL! Sein RUUU-ter ich, *high five*, bin Lohengrin genannt.

[@faktenmann]

Und die historische - aber noch sehr gut hörbare - Alternative ? Peter Anders mit seiner Gralserzählung von 1951.

[@manuelbelisario4548]

He aquí como una escenografía trata de arruinar una obra maestra.

[@wlrlel]

Abgesehen von der Stimme ist da alles jämmerlich. Eine Schande.

[@hellalux1631]

Schimpft bitte nicht den armen Botha! Schuld ist die japanische Inszenierung - einfach gräßlich!

[@ferdinandkramer5675]

Tolle Stimme....

[@atsushi2101]

Das war aber überhaupt keine japanische Inszenierung. Die kommt aus München.

[@jimmychoo1857]

Singing declined so much! It is not “In fernem land”!

[@michelez3710]

E' buono. Pero' la regia e' terribile...

[@AfroPoli]

Poiché sta seduto per la maggior parte del brano? Non è la regia. Lui pesava così tanto che non poteva fare altro che stare seduto! Io l’ho visto cantare tutto l’Otello in questo modo vergognoso.

[@sebthi7890]

ich weiß, dass mich einige als Idioten bezeichnen werden, aber ohne einen entsprechenden Körper kann man so nicht singen. Jemand mit einem kleinen Körper kann zwar auch laut oder leise singen hoch und sogar tief, aber es fehlen Frequenzen. Bei Johann Botha kam die ruhende Kraft aus seinem enormen Körper. Ein großer, schwergewichtiger Körper hat die Kraft eines Tsunami, ein schlanker gut trainierter muss viel Energie aufwenden um einen Orkan zu entfachen, und doch bleibt er mehr mehr an der Oberfläche.

[@heinrichwagner8179]

Nein ganz un gar nicht...im Gegenteil hoch interessant und pertinent Ihr Kommentar einer der besten den ich hier bezüglich Stimme und Gesang auf KZbin gefunden habe. Mit gewissen Vorbehalten (es würde zu weit führen ) bewundere ich ihre Kenntnisse von Frequenz und stimme Ihnen zu. BOTHA hat eine sehr, sehr schene Stimme aber nicht geeignet für Interpretationen von WAGNER's Kompositionen.

[@williamadolphe7921]

from this... to.......... karl florian????? this '''opera company''' is a joke!!!!

[@Agorante]

Raymond Burr played the TV detective "Ironsides" from a wheelchair because he was too fat to stand up anymore. That's what this looks like. He actually sings it very well except the tempo is irregular. That could be the conductor's fault. Lohengrin is a good role for him but in the recording studio not the stage. He's too fat. I saw him a few years ago as Otello, That part didn't fit his voice. He had a rather thin sound and the voice wasn't quite big enough. It carries well because it's so pure but its not really a dramatic tenor voice at all. I'm sorry he died young - that happens to fat guys. He should never have performed on the stage. Joseph Schmidt almost never sang on stage because he was too short. Opera is in trouble. Pavarotti was promoted as an ideal opera tenor to the unsophisticated public. His promoters exploited his girth and made the yahoos feel superior to the opera fans because their best was this big fat guy. But that's a lie of course. Look at Corelli or Kraus. If we are to interest the younger generation in opera we we singers who aren't blimps.

[@Bumblebeebeebee]

What a cruel, heartless and unbelievably stupid comment

[@Agorante]

@@Bumblebeebeebee The only thing that would save someone with that physique from an early grave would be bariatric surgery. If he had had a stomach clamp installed such people often can lose a hundred pounds or more. Many can't afford such a procedure. They cost $10K to $20K. He had the money why didn't have it done? Maybe there were medical reasons he couldn't have the procedure - in which case it was tragic. If he chose not to - it was a very bad decision.

[@Bumblebeebeebee]

Instead of judging a great artist in such a wicked way you should concentrate on training your really terrible voice, your videos are frightening

[@Agorante]

@@Bumblebeebeebee I didn't judge him in a wicked way. I bought tickets and took my cousin to hear him. I thought he had a fine voice but not quite my idea of an Otello voice. James McCracken was more what I expected albeit McCracken's voice was arguably less beautiful. You are too sensitive. I thought he was too fat. And it indeed killed him. If you are surprised by my videos I'm not surprised. Some of then are quite dreadful. I posted recordings on arias i was learning and even arias that I couldn't really sing. Do you expect a refund? The first ones I made were with MMO records. That was before I had figured out how to sing with an MMO accompaniment. I recorded and kept everything however bad it was. I have lots of musical mistakes and bad pitches. As I have also posted before I never really sang right until I was 65. I never though I could be a professional opera singer anymore than I thought I could be a pro basketball player. But I wanted to sing opera and I did.

[@derek2365]

@@Agorante Yeah I quite agree with you on the physique aspect and Pavarotti, but wasn't that Johan Botha died of liver cancer? Pavarotti is just for anyone who knows nothing about Opera or for those obnoxious proud Italian fangay, they want to brag and talk shit to impress the stupid crowds, his voice is lyrically beautiful I agree (not squinto, not even dramatic or helden voice), but his sloppy attitude is unacceptable.