Lohengrin is a romantic opera (or music drama) in three acts by Richard Wagner. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its anonymous sequel, Lohengrin. It is part of the Knight of the Swan tradition. Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognizable opera houses and landmarks Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 in Leipzig[1] – February 13, 1883 in Venice[2]) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... Parzival is one of the two great epic poems in Middle High German. ... Portrait of Wolfram from the Codex Manesse. ... In some German Arthurian literature, Lohengrin is the son of Parzival (Percival). ... The story of the Knight of the Swan, or Swan Knight, is a medieval myth about a mysterious rescuer who comes in a swan-drawn boat to defend a damsel, his only condition being that he must never be asked his name. ...

Text by the composer. First production; Weimar, Germany on 28 August 1850. For the locality in Texas called Weimar see Weimar, Texas, there is also Weimar bei Kassel and Weimar in Marburg-Biedenkopf. ... August 28 is the 240th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (241st in leap years), with 125 days remaining. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Lohengrin was an immediate popular success, and several excerpts have become famous. These include the preludes to the first and third acts, Lohengrin's aria In fernem Land, and the Bridal Chorus, which is traditionally played at Western weddings, and is commonly known as "Here Comes the Bride". The Bridal Chorus from the opera Lohengrin, by German composer Richard Wagner, is the standard march played for the brides entrance at most formal weddings in the United States and at many weddings thoughout the Western world. ...

Among those deeply moved by the fairy-tale opera was the young King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who later built the ideal fairy-tale castle and called it, after the Swan Knight, "New Swan Stone," or "Neuschwanstein". The opening scene of the opera may be interpreted as a thinly veiled exhortation to Ludwig to unite Germany under his own flag. It was King Ludwig's patronage that later gave Wagner the means and opportunity to build a theatre for, compose and stage his Ring of the Nibelung. Ludwig (Louis) II, King of Bavaria, Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm; sometimes known in English as Mad King Ludwig and as the Märchenkönig (Fairy-tale King) in German. ... Castle seen from the Marienbrücke Schloss Neuschwanstein (pre-reform spelling: Schloß Neuschwanstein; IPA pronunciation: /nɔyʃvanʃtain/), literally new swan stone castle, is a late 19th century castle in Germany, near Hohenschwangau and Füssen in southwest Bavaria, not far from the Austrian border at approximately , . It is... Valkyrie Warrior Maiden by artist Arthur Rackham (1912) Der Ring des Nibelungen commonly translated into English as The Ring of the Nibelung or The Nibelungs Ring, is a series of four epic operas based loosely on figures and elements of Germanic paganism, particularly from the Icelanders sagas and the...

Characters

• Heinrich der Vogler (Henry the Fowler), German king (Bass)
• Lohengrin (Tenor)
• Elsa von Brabant (Soprano)
• Herzog (Duke) Gottfried, her brother
• Friedrich (Frederick) von Telramund, a Brabantine count (Baritone)
• Ortrud, his wife (Soprano)
• The king's herald (Bass)
• Four Brabantine noblemen (Tenors & Basses)
• Four Pages (Sopranos & Altos)
• Saxon and Thuringian Counts and Noblemen. Brabantine Counts and Noblemen. Noblewomen. Pages. Vassals. Ladies. Serfs.

Plot

Place: on the Scheldt.

Time: the tenth century.

The Scheldt (Dutch: Schelde, French Escaut) is a 350 km[1] long river that finds its origin in the north of France, enters Belgium and near Antwerp flows west into the Netherlands towards the North Sea. ... ( 9th century - 10th century - 11th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ...

Act I

King Henry the Fowler has arrived in Brabant and assembles the German tribes to expel the Hungarians from his dominions. Count Telramund acts as regent for Duke Gottfried of Brabant, who is a minor, and brother to Elsa. Gottfried has mysteriously disappeared, and incited by his wife, Ortrud, Telramund accuses Elsa of her brother's murder. He also demands the dukedom. Elsa appears, surrounded by her attendants. Knowing herself innocent, she declares that she is willing to submit to the judgment of God by the ordeal of combat. She chooses as her champion a knight she has beheld in her dreams. (Narrative: "Alone in dark days.") She sinks to her knees and prays God to send her relief. Telramund, at the behest of the king, accepts the gage of battle. The Herald at first calls in vain upon the unknown knight, but when he calls the second time a miracle takes place. A boat appears on the river, drawn by a swan. In it is a knight in shining armour, he lands, dismisses the swan, respectfully greets the king and asks Elsa if she will have him as her champion. Elsa kneels to him and places her honour in his keeping. He makes but one condition. Never shall she ask him who he is or from whence he comes. Elsa agrees to this, prayers are said, and the place of combat is prepared. Telramund is conquered. The victor grants him his life, and taking Elsa by the hand, declares her innocence, and asks her hand in marriage. Heinrich I depicted as The Bamberg Knight Henry I, the Fowler (German: Heinrich der Finkler or Heinrich der Vogler) (876 - July 2, 936), was Duke of Saxony from 912 and king of the Germans from 919 until his death in 936. ... Historically, Brabant has been the name of several administrative entities in the Low Countries with quite different geographical extent: as Carolingian shire (pagus Bracbatensis), located between the rivers Scheldt and Dijle (between 9th-11th century); as landgraviat: the part of the shire between the rivers Dender and Dijle (from 1085...

Act II

The courtyard outside the cathedral. It is night. Telramund and Ortrud, who have been banished, appear in wretched garments. Ortrud endeavours to reanimate Telramund's courage. She is a heathen, the daughter of Radbod, the duke of Frisia, and deals in magic. She schemes to induce Elsa to ask Lohengrin the forbidden questions. When Elsa appears on the balcony in the light of the morning, she sees Ortrud and pities her. Telramund unobserved retires into the shadow of a house. The populace assembles and the Herald announces that the king has made Lohengrin Duke of Brabant, which title he refuses and wishes to be known only as "Guardian of Brabant." As the king, Lohengrin, Elsa and her attendants are about to enter the church, Ortrud, clad in magnificent attire, appears and accuses Lohengrin of being a magician, whose name Elsa herself does not know. Telramund also appears and claims to have been vanquished by fraud, as he does not know the name of his opponent. Lohengrin refuses to reveal his identity, saying that one only has the right to know his origin. To Elsa alone will he answer. Elsa assures him of her confidence, and they enter the church.

Act III

The bridal chamber. Elsa and Lohengrin are ushered in with the well-known bridal chorus. They express their love for each other, but Ortrud's words are impressed upon Elsa, and, despite Lohengrin's warning, she asks the fatal question. Telramund rushes in to attack the knight, but is slain by Lohengrin, who sorrowfully turns to Elsa, and asks her to follow him to the king, to whom he will now reveal the mystery. Change of scene: On the banks of the Scheldt, as in Act I. The troops arrive equipped for war. Telramund's corpse is brought in, and Lohengrin defends his act. One thing remains, he must now disclose his identity to the king and Elsa. He tells the story of the Holy Grail, and reveals himself as Lohengrin, knight of the Holy Grail, and son of King Parsifal. The time for his return has arrived, he has only tarried to prove Elsa's innocence. As he sadly bids farewell to his beloved bride, the swan reappears. Lohengrin prays that Elsa may recover her lost brother, and lo! the swan dives into the river and appears again in the form of Gottfried, Elsa's brother, who had been turned into a swan by Ortrud's magic arts. A dove descends from heaven, and taking the place of the swan leads Lohengrin in his boat back to the castle of the Holy Grail. In Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, cup or vessel used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers. ... Amalie Materna Emil Scaria and Hermann Winkelmann in the 1882 premiere production of Parsifal Parsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. ...

Reference

Plot taken from The Opera Goer's Complete Guide by Leo Melitz, 1921 version. 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

CD recordings of Lohengrin

• Sir Georg Solti conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic). Released in 2003 by Decca.
• Claudio Abbado conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker. Released in 1995 by Deutsche Grammophone.
• Rudolf Kempe conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker. Released in 2000 by EMI Classics.
• Sir Colin Davis conducting the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra). Released in 1995 by RCA Red Seal.
• Daniel Barenboim conducting the Staatskapelle Berlin. Released in 1998 by Teldec.
• Richard Wagner - Lohengrin. A gallery of historic postcards with motives from Richard Wagner's operas.