Richard Wagner's "Lohengrin"

"Lohengrin," a romantic opera in three acts, was first performed in Weimar, Germany, on Aug. 28, 1850, under the direction of Franz Liszt.
 
Richard Wagner began writing "Lohengrin" in Paris and finished in Switzerland during the period in which he was director of the musical society as well as of the orchestra at the city theater of Zurich. He had fled to Zurich to escape the penalties for taking part in the political agitations and subsequent insurrection of 1849.

"Lohengrin": Leading Characters and Cast

The characters and cast in the original performance of "Lohengrin" were as follows:
  • Lohengrin: Herr Beck
  • Telramund: Herr Milde
  • King: Herr Hofer
  • Elsa: Frau Agathe
  • Ortrud: Fraülein Fastlinger.

A Plot Summary of "Lohengrin," Act One

The story of Lohengrin, the son of Parsifal, upon which Wagner has based his drama, is taken from many sources. In the opera, the old Celtic legend of King Arthur, his knights and the Holy Grail are mixed with the distinctively German legend of a knight who arrives in his boat drawn by a swan.

In act one of "Lohengrin," Henry I, king of Germany, known as "the Fowler," arrives at Antwerp for the purpose of raising a force to help him expel the Hungarians, who are threatening his dominions.

He finds the area in a condition of anarchy. Gottfried, the young son of the late Duke, has mysteriously disappeared, and Telramund, the husband of Ortrud, claims the dukedom. Telramund openly charges Elsa, sister of Gottfried, with having murdered Gottfried to obtain the sovereignty, and she is summoned before the king to submit her cause to the ordeal of battle between Telramund and any knight whom she may name.

Elsa describes a champion whom she has seen in a vision and conjures him to appear in her behalf. After a triple summons by the heralds, he is seen approaching on the Scheldt, in a boat drawn by a swan. Before the combat, Lohengrin betroths himself to Elsa, naming only the condition that she shall never question him as to his name or race. She assents, and the combat results in Telramund's defeat and public disgrace.

Plot Synopsis: Act Two

In the second act, the bridal ceremonies occur, prior to which, moved by Ortrud's entreaties, Elsa promises to obtain a reprieve for Telramund from the sentence which has been pronounced against him. At the same time, Ortrud takes advantage of her success to instill doubts into Elsa's mind as to her future happiness and the faithfulness of Lohengrin.
 
In the next scene, as the bridal party is about to enter, Ortrud claims the right of precedence by virtue of her rank, and Telramund publicly accuses Lohengrin of sorcery. The faith of Elsa, however, is not shaken. The two conspirators are ordered to stand aside, the train enters the church, and Elsa and Lohengrin are united.

Plot Synopsis: Act Three

The third act opens in the bridal chamber. The seeds of curiosity and distrust which Ortrud has sown in Elsa's mind have ripened. In spite of her conviction that it will end her happiness, she questions Lohengrin with increasing vehemence, at last openly demanding to know his secret.

At this juncture, Telramund breaks into the apartment with four followers, intending to take the life of Lohengrin. A single blow of the Lohengrin's sword, however, knocks Telramund lifeless.

Compelled by his wife's unfortunate rashness, Lohengrin discloses himself as the son of Parsifal, Knight of the Holy Grail, and announces that he must now return to its guardianship. His swan once more appears. As he steps into the boat, he bids Elsa an eternal farewell. Before he sails away, however, Ortrud declares to the wondering crowd that the swan is Elsa's brother, who has been bewitched by herself into this form and would have been released but for Elsa's curiosity.

Lohengrin at once disenchants the swan, and Gottfried appears and rushes into his sister's arms. A white dove flies through the air and takes the place of the swan. Lohengrin sails away as Elsa dies in the embrace of her newly found brother.

Resources

Upton, George (1897). The Standard Operas: Their Plots, Their Music, and Their Composersa Handbook. Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company.