March 16, 2013 - 07:00 PM:
Deutsche Oper Berlin
10627 Berlin, Germany
Also on March 21
Role: Friedrich von Telramund, Count of Brabant
One must always listen for the noble character in the sound. I particularly enjoy displaying this noble character with a vocally commanding and distinguished quality, never forced or pushed. These qualities always shine through.”
Wagners Lohengrin is a romantic, fairy-tale opera. The story is taken from medieval German romance and the Knight of the Swan tradition. Among those deeply moved by it was the young King Ludwig II of Bavaria. And it was King Ludwig’s patronage that later gave Wagner the means and opportunity to compose, build a theatre for, and stage his epic cycle, the Ring of the Nibelung. The most popular and recognizable part of the opera is the Bridal Chorus, better known as “Here Comes the Bride”, often played as a processional at weddings in the West.
Count Friedrich von Telramund is a Duke’s guardian. In his mind, he brings a just case against Elsa, the Duke’s sister, of murdering her brother. Telramund calls upon the King to punish Elsa and to make him the new Duke of Brabant – not her. In the end, the person that allows her to become heir (Lohengrin) does not come from this earthly realm at all.