Lohengrin - libretto only - English & German - English National Opera 47

The legend of the Swan Knight who rescues a princess from the forces of pagan evil is one of Christian Europe's foundation myths

Lohengrin transformed Wagner into an international figure almost overnight, and it remained his most popular work throughout the nineteenth century

Thomas Grey proposes that this was because it offered a "cautious taste" of his later works, while preserving some of the familiar traditions of French grand opera

John Deathridge asks why Wagner denied its Christian symbolism, and Janet Nelson argues that his vision of the Christian Middle Ages prefigured a modern historical approach

This English translation is by Amanda Holden

REVIEWS

'Brilliantly produced and superb value' ~ Sunday Times

'All these will provide the new opera-goer with food for thought' ~ Daily Telegraph

'Wholehearted recommendation of this valuable new series' ~ TLS