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Soaring music and epic romance
Lohengrin Welsh National Opera Birmingham Hippodrome **** THERE is always something of an occasion
around watching a Wagner opera. Maybe it is the fact that you know you
will be in your seat for a good few hours, maybe it is Wagner's epic
music or maybe it is the imagination of his storylines. Or maybe it is a combination of all three but for
whatever reason there was a real air of anticipation as the audience
settled in for the long haul. With the opening notes of the famous
Prelude we knew we were in safe hands as the WNO Orchestra and conductor
Lothar Koenigs lulled us with that sweeping sound. Lohengrin is not Wagner's easiest opera and in
many ways it is an odd mix. Set in Brabant, it is a story of ordinary
people faced with an extraordinary situation. The opera tells of Elsa who is charged with
killing her brother but decides her best defence is to call for the
support of a hero who came to her in her dreams. When the mythical man
appears, drawn by a swan, he and Elsa fall in love and marry. But
there is a catch – the union can only succeed if Elsa never asks the
stranger's name or origins. That is because Lohengrin is actually a Grail
knight sent into the world to defend the good and he can only stay if
his real identity remains secret. Directed and designed by Antony McDonald, this
production is very much in the real world. It shifts between the inside
of a giant meeting hall to its outside where lofty walls loom over the
characters below. Lohengrin is so dramatically different because he
clearly comes from another world. Played by Peter Wedd, he is constantly
set apart from the rest of the characters – in his dress, in his
demeanour and in his refusal to conform. Emma Bell's Elsa is the character who faces the
real turmoil as she battles between blind faith and love for her mystery
saviour and fear of who he really is. The couple are mirrored by a darker pairing –
that of Elsa's rival for power Telramund and his scheming wife Ortrud.
Susan Bickley is a brilliant Ortrud – she is vicious, vindictive and
proud yet also cunning enough to hide this side of her character when
she needs to. She is thoroughly believable in her desire to wreak
revenge on Elsa. There are moments, such as when she is cursing
the poor girl, when you literally feel the hairs stand up on the back of
your neck. This is not a woman you want to cross. Simon Thorpe jumped from his usual role of Herald
to take on the part of Telramund due to illness and managed it
incredibly well. The production is well over four-and-a-half hours
but it never drags. As the drama takes us back and forth between the
opposing couples there is a real sense of empathy for Elsa as she
agonises over her loyalties and her trust – pulled in different
directions by those around her. And of course at its heart is Wagner's beautiful music which draws us all into the story happening before us.
Diane Parkes
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