Katharina Wagner and her plot twist in a romantic opera, with controversy included

Lohengrin is a sensational work, an unqualified masterpiece that serves as a hinge between historicist romanticism and the timeless conceptualization of the myth that Richard Wagner would undertake from then on. At this point, hardly anyone approaches it from a historical realist perspective, although Wagner based his work on events dating back to the 10th century and in 1850, when the piece premiered in Weimar, the scenery and costumes had to reconstruct that High Middle Ages. Times have changed and today the best option is to leave behind the cardboard cutouts and resort to the conceptualization of the Regietheater, of which we have had good examples at the Liceu, even in this opera: the brilliant (and controversial) production by Peter Konwitschny seen at the Rambla theatre in 2000 and 2006 is a good example.

Katharina Wagner follows the same trend, in a show whose main novelty is the plot twist with the moral subversion of the charactersLohengrin is not a pure knight imbued with the grace of the Grail, but a toxic character, a textbook psychopath and a paranoid who sees ghosts, especially after (during the first prelude) he murders Gottfried, Elsa's brother. From then on, everything changes for those who wanted a traditional perspective, because Ortrud and Telramund strive to make the unfortunate Elsa see the truth. There are good ideas, a clear narrative, good characterization of the characters, and courage in some solutions, although the staging is not entirely perfect, especially because in the third act some notes of the dramaturgy grate and contradict the meaning of the text and the music. All this is framed within a set designed by Marc Löhrer (with a ghostly forest in the style of the film about the Blair Witch) and with discreet costumes by Thomas Kaiser, well complemented by the lighting of Peter Younes.

The stage crew's exit was met with a loud protest, which surely has much to do with the poor manners with which Wagner's great-granddaughter has been parading around the theater in recent weeks, the controversy with Iréne Theorin (who will sing starting with the second performance), and Katharina Wagner's disdain for the media. However, I don't think the protest is justified.

The dominance of Josep Pons

The most regrettable thing is that in the days leading up to the premiere there has been much talk about the stage and little about the music. When it comes down to it, it is the musical part that deserves a resounding applause, both in general and in particular. Starting with the direction of Josep Pons, who once again demonstrated his mastery of the Wagnerian language and a work like Lohengrin. That sound that Thomas Mann defined as "silver-blue" presided over the pit of the Liceu, with the mixture of lyricism and romantic heroism, without affectations and without stridency, everything in its place, with balance and brilliance, with poetic sense and with exemplary accompaniment of the voices, without drowning them out. The house choir also did not have it easy with a demanding score and before which it has shown an excellent level and enthusiasm, light years away from the mediocrity of the Requiem by Mozart and as if it were another ensemble.

The title role was taken by Klaus Florian Vogt, very experienced in this role and in others by the same composer. He has the voice of Tamino and that cannot be remedied, but the technique is immaculate, the projection generous and he has also known how to provide precise colors to his interpretation based on the character reinterpreted by Katharina Wagner.

Elisabeth Teige was a correct Elsa in the first act but gave her all in the rest of the opera, with a moving second act finale in the expansive My Back. A pure lyric that, however, should review the technique in some passages if it wants to have a long career.

Ortrud by Miina-Liisa Värelä is sensational and scorching, although it was somewhat blurred in the Full Name! from the second act. She gave her all and was rewarded with a unanimous ovation when she took her bow. At her side, Ólafur Sigurdarson's Telramund was hampered by a lackluster voice, despite the Icelandic baritone's immaculate expressiveness. Günther Groisböck's Heinrich lacked bass, while baritone Roman Trekel was past his best.