Wagner’s Lohengrin is at the end of Part One of his creative development, the others being, in reverse order: Tannhäuser and Der fliegende Holländer, arguably even Rienzi. This is not to say that his later operas (the four Ring operas and the three music dramas, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger, and Parsifal) were so radically different, but they, in their own ways, are departures from Part One.

The Met’s new Lohengrin, thank goodness, erases memories of the static Robert Wilson staging. At least the vocalists of that production were excellent.* But this new Francois Girard production also puts significant demands on the singers and orchestra, and though there are a lot of comings and goings throughout, as dictated by the libretto, once in place the main characters and the chorus stand around or (in this production) sit around or they shift positions for no apparent reason.** They also flash colored robes…and then there is the great circular open roof, which give us a background view of the planets and stars. Out of this structure, to shimmering music toward the end of Act I, Lohengrin appears and descends into the real world at just the right moment when poor Elsa’s luck seems to have run out. The good news is that structure prevents the sound from being lost in the rafters; it sometimes changes elevation.***

**Piotr Beczala is Lohengrin in this new production**

Lohengrin, over the many years, tends to get a strong cast at the Met.**** Same here. With Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the helm, Wagner’s music flowed and ebbed as written. He even changed shirts for each act, depending on the ‘color’ of the music. The large orchestra, large chorus and well trained Wagnerian singers fill the auditorium, such that it was probably heard outside on the plaza.

At the opera’s beginning, the stage is dark. The King’s Herald, boldly sung by Brian Mulligan, announces the entrance of King Heinrich, who is recruiting soldiers for a coming war against the Hungarians. As King Heinrich, Günther Groissböck sings with expression, concern, and dignity. Friedrich von Telramund was sung by Thomas Hall, taking over for an indisposed Evgeny Nikitin. Hall, too, was well represented vocally and dramatically.

**Elsa (Tamara Wilson) and her bridesmaids in Act II. Note the large opening through which you can see the moons.**

Enter Elsa von Brabant, sung by Tamara Wilson. Though Elsa seems like a wallflower, she inadvertently is at the center of the drama. Before the opera starts, the Duke, Elsa’s father, charges Telramund to care for Elsa and her brother Gottfried until the boy comes of age. Telramund also has a crush on Elsa, but she refuses him. Then Gottfried mysteriously disappears, Telramund bonds with Ortrud, a pagan sorceress, who seeks to reestablish pagan rule in the land. In Act I Elsa is accused of murdering Gottfried and having a secret lover in mind for the throne. Wilson plays an inwardly agitated Elsa, whose love and trust for Lohengrin is undermined by Ortrud’s innuendoes. Her grief at Lohengrin’s departure is barely lifted by the magical return of Gottfried.

**Lohengrin reveals his Horn, Ring and Sword to Elsa as he prepares to depart.**

Piotr Beczala’s first Lohengrin at the Met was a triumph in every respect. Trim and confident, his entrance at the end of Act I is vocally both magical and calming to Elsa; ditto his appearance at the end of Act II: amidst the gathered crowd for their wedding, he protects Elsa from Ortrud’s false claims. But it is in Act III that he really gets a chance to show what he can do vocally and dramatically, not only in the Bridal Chamber, but also with the whole assembled cast (minus Telramund who also is there, but is dead). Bravo!!!

**Ortrud (Christine Goerke) is a negative force in their universe!**

The downright evil one is Ortrud, sung by Christine Goerke. Though mostly quiet in Act I, she dominates the first third of Act II, as she begs forgiveness from Elsa, who leads her into to the castle. Goerke has one of those voices that you’ll not soon forget, and her stage presence is 100%. All in all, it was a very strong cast of artists and musicians.

The Nobelmen of Brabant are Errin Duane Brooks, Thomas Capobianco, Anthony Clark Evans, and Stefan Egerstrom; the Pages are Catherine MiEun Choi-Steckmeyer, Andrea Coleman, Alexa Jarvis, and Anne Nonnemacher; Andrew Spriggs is Duke Gottfried, rescued by Lohengrin’s magic.

The vast chorus, under Donald Palumbo, was well trained and directed by at least four Assistants. Given the complexity of their coordinated movement and placements, they were rarely late or out of sync, more so in the first afternoon, not at all in the second afternoon.

As said above, the new production of Lohengrin is by Francois Girard; Tim Yip designed the Sets and Costumes; David Finn was the Lighting Designer; Peter Flaherty was the Projection Designer; Serge Bennathan was Choreographer; and Serve Lamothe was the Dramaturg.

Photos: Marty Sohl.

Lohengrin performance dates: Sunday, March 5, 2023 and Saturday, March 18, 2023.

*That recording is a CD in the collection of James Levine Celebrating 40 Years at the Met. It’s the broadcast performance of Robert Wilson’s staging of Lohengrin from the Met on March 21, 1998, staring Eric Halfvarson, Deborah Voigt, Ben Heppner and Deborah Polaski. The good news is that you can’t see it. Also included are performances of Lohengrin from past broadcasts: Domingo, Kollo, Lorengar, Marton, and Tomowa-Sintow.

** Sitting is a good idea! My second performance of Lohengrin was during the opening season of the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, 1966/1967, March 23rd. The super cast was Leonie Rysanek, Ludmila Dvořáková, Sándor Kónya, William Dooley, Klobucar conducting. It was a new production in the (then) Bayreuth style, meaning the chorus stood still on raised planks at least for Act I. One of the chorus members fainted from the heat and the standing. She was removed by two chorus members.

***Constant, this: Some aspects of Francois Girard’s production of Parsifal at the Met in 2013 raised various eyebrows, particularly a splashy Act II, but his gathering storm clouds in Act I were wonderful; his Der fliegende Holländer, which was new right before Covid in 2020 shut us down, also has mixed solutions for this problem. To be fair, almost any grand opera from this period (and before) is relatively static. Bellini’s Norma, one of Wagner’s favorite operas, is a case in point.

****My first Lohengrin was at the Old Met. The cast was Regine Crespin, Nell Rankin, Sándor Kónya, William Cassel, Rosenstock conducting. It was my 4th opera, but also my first solo trip to the Met. Those were the days, my friends!

If you missed this Lohengrin live or in HD, know that PBS often broadcasts the HDs in the summer months. Check your local listings!

More to come! OM