Lohengrin

Had Richard Wagner lived in the 20th century, he might have been one of the most brilliant filmmakers – one might think so based on his opera: Lohengrin, the mysterious knight and guardian of the Holy Grail, arrives in Antwerp disguised, in a boat drawn by a swan, to save the beautiful Elsa accused of murder. On the condition that she is never inquisitive about his identity, Lohengrin marries her. However, after their wedding, the defeated Ortrud’s manipulations fuel Elsa’s curiosity about her husband’s true identity – leading to its eventual revelation. As a result, Lohengrin returns to the temple of the Holy Grail…

Wagner’s cinematic world is not far from the OPERA’s new production of Lohengrin. In András Almási-Tóth’s staging, a setting emerges that begins in 19th-century romanticism and evokes futuristic, steampunk films, highlighting the irreconcilable contrasts between good and evil, dream and reality, and the fundamentally opposing world-views of Lohengrin and society – where emerging victorious, or even happy, is practically impossible.