Lohengrin

Synopsis

A shadow has been cast upon the broken land of Brabant, but little do its people realise, greater forces are at work. Elsa, the daughter of the late ruler, stands accused of the murder of her missing brother. Elsa is awe-struck when the knight she has dreamed of arrives on a boat led by a swan to defend her honour. In return for his help she must marry this stranger and on no account must she ask his name. The heavens finally seem to smile upon Elsa. However, forces of evil conspire to throw her mind into doubt, jeopardising her happiness and her own life.

Our Review:

28 April 2009

The opera’s first act suffers from an excess of teutonic bombast – worrying exhortations to the German nation to defend itself from the eastern aggressor and an almost simplistic symbolising of good, represented by the new Christian philosophy, and evil by anything that came before.

There is guilty pleasure to be had from the brassy blasts and smashing of sword on shield as clunky mediaeval rituals are played out but this first act can feel like something to be got through before the real heart of the opera is reached. It’s worth the wait; the opening of act two is writing of much greater maturity, casting forward to Parsifal and some of the darker sections of The Ring.

The delving into the murky corners of the psyche, as Ortrud and Telramund plot against the light, make for thrilling theatre. From then on, it’s a magical weaving through both psychological gloom and lush romanticism for the remainder of the four hour work.

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