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Lohengrin

Richard Wagner

Opéra Bastille

from 23 September to 27 October 2023

4h20 with 2 intervals

Lohengrin

Opéra Bastille - from 23 September to 27 October 2023

Synopsis

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Accused of killing her brother, the heir to the Duchy of Brabant, Elsa asks to be defended by the man she has seen in her dreams. When he appears, led by a swan, he accepts on condition that she never asks him his name. Richard Wagner was 37 years old when he wrote his romantic opera Lohengrin with its compelling score. Writing not only the music but also the libretto (inspired by Germanic legends), he laid the foundations for his “music drama”, to which a prelude, leitmotivs and an extensive orchestra and choruses also contributed. Director Kirill Serebrennikov, known for his striking creations, makes his Paris Opera debut with this work, upon which his reflection on war as a machine for crushing bodies and souls sheds a sombre light.

Duration : 4h20 with 2 intervals

Language : German

Surtitle : French / English

  • Opening

  • First part 60 min

  • Intermission 30 min

  • Second Part 80 min

  • Intermission 30 min

  • Third part 60 min

  • End

Show acts and characters

CHARACTERS

Elsa: Young woman
Lohengrin: Elsa’s vision and Protector
Ortrud: Psychiatrist and director of the psychiatric clinic
Friedrich von Telramund: Ortrud’s husband and military psychiatrist, also the director of the psychiatric clinic
King Henry: The ruler
The herald: The ruler’s spokesman

Prelude
Elsa’s memories

Act 1 Delusion:
On stage is the imaginary inner world of Elsa, a young woman who lost her brother in the war and whose mind has been clouded ever since. This world is filled with demons, chimeras and other terrifying visions that torment and frighten her. From these demons, Elsa hears – again and again – the accusation that her brother died through her fault. She desires nothing but salvation and deliverance from her nightmares, and after her ecstatic prayers an angelic Knight and his companions appear to her. He and his fellow knights promise peace and love to Elsa on the condition that she never asks who he is or where he comes from. The demons are defeated. Elsa is in ecstatic excitement…

Act 2 Reality:
Part 1 The psychiatric clinic
In reality, Elsa is kept in a separate ward of Ortrud and Telramund’s psychiatric clinic. A long time ago, during the war, Telramund survived severe shell shock; now he and his wife work with people physically and mentally affected by the war. Telramund is tormented by Elsa’s condition and also by his own ailments and his discord with his wife Ortrud. He feels a strange sympathy for Elsa; Ortrud is more concerned by the fact that the war that has been going on for years only aggravates Elsa’s condition. She vainly attempts to hypnotize Elsa in order to bring her back to reality. However it is her own state of mind that is shaken.

Part 2 The hospital
The action takes us to a front-line hospital where there are many soldiers: those who have recovered are preparing to be sent back to the front and praise King Henry and the nameless Protector. At the same time, many lie wounded in their cots. Not everyone survives a concussion; the dead are taken to the morgue. Women nurse and mourn men. Ortrud leads Elsa around the hospital. Seeing the soldiers,
Elsa remembers her farewell to her brother... It seems to her that they are thanking and glorifying both her and her Protector. Seeing the fighting spirit of the soldiers, it seems to Elsa that her brother’s death was not in vain. Telramund,meanwhile, is trying to dissuade several generals from leading meanwhile, is trying to dissuade several generals from leading a new war; nobody listens to him. Elsa’s hallucinations intensify. She sees that her Protector watches over her and drives away those who try to touch her. At the same time she tries to understand exactly who he is... She falls asleep.

Act 3 War:
Prelude
The call to war

War is in full swing. No one remembers when it started, no one knows how long it can last. Girls marry their chosen ones on the front line, while they are still alive.

The clinic is destroyed, but Elsa has nowhere to go. She continues to live in her surviving ward; her mental illness is progressing, but she seems to be happy with her Saviour. He promised to lead the people of Brabant to war and to victory. He will avenge her brother’s death! Elsa struggles to find out his name... There is an explosion. The obsession disappears.

The battlefield turns into a mass grave… It seemed to people that Lohengrin – that is the name of Elsa’s saviour – wouldlead them to victory, but there is no more defender, no victory, no hope, and Lohengrin leaves them. Ortrud discovers her husband Telramund among the dead; she mourns for him and curses everyone. Elsa is dying.

Artists

Romantic opera in three acts (1850)

Creative team

Cast

Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus

With the exceptional support of: Aline Foriel-Destezet, Élisabeth et Bertrand Meunier, Étienne Binant and Sébastien Grandin

Media

[TRAILER] LOHENGRIN by Richard Wagner
[TRAILER] LOHENGRIN by Richard Wagner
  • The male chorus in Lohengrin

    The male chorus in Lohengrin

    Watch the video

  • Podcast Lohengrin

    Podcast Lohengrin

    Listen the podcast

  • Draw-me Lohengrin

    Draw-me Lohengrin

    Watch the video

  • Plunging into the world of Wagner: interview with Kirill Serebrennikov

    Plunging into the world of Wagner: interview with Kirill Serebrennikov

    Watch the video

The male chorus in Lohengrin

Watch the video

Interview with Ching-Lien Wu, Olivier Berg and Jean-Michel Ducombs

6:26 min

The male chorus in Lohengrin

By Isabelle Stibbe

Both expansive and intense, the male choruses play an essential role in Wagner's oceanic writing. On the occasion of the new production of Lohengrin directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, the Chorus master and two members of the Paris Opera Chorus discuss their work: searching for the right vocal colours, enduring this vocal marathon and enhancing stereo effects.

© Charles Duprat / OnP

Podcast Lohengrin

Listen the podcast

Podcast Lohengrin

By Charlotte Landru-Chandès

"Dance! Sing! 7 minutes at the Paris Opera" offers original incursions into the season thanks to broadcasts produced by France Musique and the Paris Opera.

For each opera or ballet production, Charlotte Landru-Chandès (opera) and Jean-Baptiste Urbain (dance), present the works and artists you are going to discover when you attend performances in our theatres.

Draw-me Lohengrin

Watch the video

Understand the plot in 1 minute

1:30 min

Draw-me Lohengrin

By Matthieu Pajot

Plunging into the world of Wagner: interview with Kirill Serebrennikov

Watch the video

6:23 min

Plunging into the world of Wagner: interview with Kirill Serebrennikov

By Isabelle Stibbe

Director Kirill Serebrennikov, famed for his forceful creations, makes his Paris Opera debut with Richard Wagner's Lohengrin over which he sheds a sombre light as he reflects on war, a machine that crushes bodies and souls.

  • [EXTRAIT] LOHENGRIN by Wagner (Acte II - Chœur)
  • [EXTRAIT] LOHENGRIN by Wagner (Piotr Beczala - "In Fermen Land", Act 3)
  • [EXTRAIT] LOHENGRIN by Wagner (Acte II - Nina Stemme, Wolfgang Koch)
  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 3

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 3

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 2

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 2

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 1

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 1

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 2

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 2

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 3

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 3

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 3

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 3

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 1

  • Lohengrin (saison23/24)- Acte 1

Press

  • An anti-war Wagnerian blockbuster directed by Kirill Serebrennikov.

    Francetv / 2023
  • One of the most captivating productions seen at the Paris Opera in a long time.

    Le Figaro / 2023
  • A captivating production where the orchestra and choir make a sensation.

    Olyrix / 2023
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[REPLAY] Lohengrin


Watch the production online on Paris Opera Play, featuring Piotr Beczala, Johanni van Oostrum, Kwangchul Youn...

7-DAY FREE TRIAL Free trial 7 days

Access and services

Opéra Bastille

Place de la Bastille

75012 Paris

Public transport

Underground Bastille (lignes 1, 5 et 8), Gare de Lyon (RER)

Bus 29, 69, 76, 86, 87, 91, N01, N02, N11, N16

Calculate my route
Car park

Q-Park Opéra Bastille 34, rue de Lyon 75012 Paris

Book your parking spot

Imagined as benchmark, richly illustrated booklets, the programmes can be bought online, at the box offices, in our shops, and in the theatres hall on the evening of the performance.

BUY THE PROGRAM
  • Cloakrooms

    Free cloakrooms are at your disposal. The comprehensive list of prohibited items is available here.

  • Bars

    Reservation of drinks and light refreshments for the intervals is possible online up to 24 hours prior to your visit, or at the bars before each performance.

  • Boutiques

    A selection of works items are available on our various boutiques: Online store and The Opéra Bastille Shop.

    LEARN MORE.

  • Last-minute tickets

    Special reduced rates for people under the age of 28, unemployed and seniors over 65 are available. 

    LEARN MORE.

  • Parking

    You can park your car at the Q-Park Opéra Bastille. It is located at 34 rue de Lyon, 75012 Paris. 

    BOOK YOUR PARKING PLACE.

In both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:

  • €35 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
  • €70 tickets for senior citizens over 65

Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

Opéra Bastille
  • Open 1h before performances and until performances end
  • Get in from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 40 01 17 82

Opéra Bastille

Place de la Bastille

75012 Paris

Public transport

Underground Bastille (lignes 1, 5 et 8), Gare de Lyon (RER)

Bus 29, 69, 76, 86, 87, 91, N01, N02, N11, N16

Calculate my route
Car park

Q-Park Opéra Bastille 34, rue de Lyon 75012 Paris

Book your parking spot

Imagined as benchmark, richly illustrated booklets, the programmes can be bought online, at the box offices, in our shops, and in the theatres hall on the evening of the performance.

BUY THE PROGRAM
  • Cloakrooms

    Free cloakrooms are at your disposal. The comprehensive list of prohibited items is available here.

  • Bars

    Reservation of drinks and light refreshments for the intervals is possible online up to 24 hours prior to your visit, or at the bars before each performance.

  • Boutiques

    A selection of works items are available on our various boutiques: Online store and The Opéra Bastille Shop.

    LEARN MORE.

  • Last-minute tickets

    Special reduced rates for people under the age of 28, unemployed and seniors over 65 are available. 

    LEARN MORE.

  • Parking

    You can park your car at the Q-Park Opéra Bastille. It is located at 34 rue de Lyon, 75012 Paris. 

    BOOK YOUR PARKING PLACE.

In both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:

  • €35 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
  • €70 tickets for senior citizens over 65

Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

Opéra Bastille
  • Open 1h before performances and until performances end
  • Get in from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 40 01 17 82

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3 min

Lohengrin

Wagner’s Lohengrin: the true/false story

Metamorphosis, curses, love and chivalry… Would you be able to untangle this complex synopsis of Wagner’s Lohengrin? You’re up!

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