Dates

11 Nov-3 Dec 2023

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Main Stage

Running time

4:15, incl. 2 intervals

Tickets

From € 30

Lohengrin

How much mystery can human beings bear?

How unconditional can love be, and how blind is trust? These questions are addressed in several of Wagner’s operas, but rarely as intensely as in Lohengrin.

Photo: Marta Syrko

How much mystery can human beings bear?

Elsa is caught up in a political conflict and has been accused of the murder of her brother, the heir to the throne. In desperation, she calls on a knight who appeared to her in her dreams. Suddenly the apparition of her dreams materialises before her and comes to her aid. Love blossoms between the two of them, yet the stranger imposes an unusual condition: Elsa must never ask him his name. But are human beings able to bear such a great mystery?

 

Lorenzo Viotti’s Wagnerian debut

After Richard Strauss’s late Romantic opera Der Rosenkavalier in the spring of 2023, chief conductor Lorenzo Viotti will tackle this ultimate German Romantic opera. Lohengrin is his fist immersion into Wagner’s operatic world with its extended melodies, motifs of foreboding and grand drama. After their work on Puccini’s Turandot, Lorenzo Viotti will once more collaborate with the Chorus of Dutch National Opera. 

 

Psychologically profound directorial style

Christof Loy, a favourite with audiences, is responsible for the stage direction. He has made a deep impression in previous productions that stand out for their psychologically profound interpretations and strong musicality – recently with his productions of Wagner’s Tannhäuser (2019) and Humperdinck’s Königskinder (2022).

Viotti and Loy will work with a cast of exceptional performers. The tenor Daniel Behle, who recently made a brilliant DNO debut as Der Königssohn in Königskinder, will be performing the title role. The soprano Malin Byström, whom Amsterdam audiences have previously seen in incisive interpretations of Salome and Tosca, will now be taking on Elsa. The seasoned Wagner singers Thomas Johannes Mayer (who sung Wotan in Der Ring des Nibelungen) and Martina Serafin (who was Brünnhilde in Die Walküre) are returning to DNO as the sinister couple Friedrich von Telramund and Ortrud.

Performance information

Romantic opera in three acts 
Sung in German

Musical direction  Lorenzo Viotti
Stage direction  Christof Loy 
Set design  Philipp Fürhofer
Costume design  Barbara Drosihn
Lighting design  Cor van den Brink
Video design  Ruth Stofer
Choreography  Klevis Elmazaj
Dramaturgy  Niels Nuijten

Heinrich der Vogler  Anthony Robin Schneider
Lohengrin  Daniel Behle
Elsa von Brabant  Malin Byström
Friedrich von Telramund  Thomas Johannes Mayer
Ortrud  Martina Serafin
Der Heerrufer des Königs  Björn Bürger

Chorus of Dutch National Opera
Chorus Master  Edward Ananian-Cooper

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

Lorenzo Viotti

‘I deliberately waited a while to conduct my first Wagner opera. I had to let his world mature in me. You have to find a certain calmness in your conducting style to be able to shape the freedom of sound.’

Lorenzo Viotti’s first Wagner Opera

Photo: Elmer van der Marel

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Nedpho

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Netherlands Chamber Orchestra have been the main orchestral partners of Dutch National Opera for over thirty years. They are regarded as among the best opera orchestras in the world. The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam is the main regular stage for their concerts.

Photo: Melle Meivogel

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

In addition to the programmes with chief conductor Lorenzo Viotti and Gordan Nicolić (musical leader of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra), the orchestras collaborate with both internationally acclaimed guest conductors and soloists and top-class musicians from the up-and-coming generation. The orchestras perform at numerous venues, bringing people together through their music and giving both classical music aficionados and new audiences the perfect musical experience. With their welcoming home base in the NedPhO Dome in Amsterdam’s Indische Buurt neighbourhood, the two orchestras are at  the heart of the community and aim to make classical music accessible to everyone who shows an interest.

In the 2023-2024 season, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra will be playing the operas Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, Lohengrin, Il trittico and Oedipus Rex / Antigone.The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra can be heard in Die Zauberflöte and Roberto Devereux

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