Richard Wagner operas

• Die Feen (1834)
• Das Liebesverbot (1836)
• Rienzi (1842)
• Der fliegende Holländer (1843)
• Tannhäuser (1845)
• Lohengrin (1848)
• Tristan und Isolde (1859)
• Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1867)
• Das Rheingold (1869)
• Die Walküre (1870)
• Siegfried (1871)
• Götterdämmerung (1874)
• Parsifal (1882)

“Lohengrin” by Richard Wagner

♡

Лоэнгрин

Premiere / date of written: 28 April 1848

“I consider the spirit of music to be no different to the spirit of love.” Richard Wagner The first production of Lohengrin was in Weimar, Germany on 28 August 1850 at the Staatskapelle Weimar under the direction of Franz Liszt, a close friend and early supporter of Wagner. Liszt chose the date in honour of Weimar's most famous citizen, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was born on 28 August 1749. It was an immediate popular success.

Libretti

German–English side-by-side translation

#	Language	Authors
1	German	Richard Wagner
2	English
3	Russian	Виктор Павлович Коломийцов

original libretto
side-by-side of the original libretto

History

April 28, 1850	The premiere of Richard Wagner's opera "Lohengrin" took place in Weimar under the direction of Franz Liszt.
August 5, 1850	The first performance of Richard Wagner's "Lohengrin" took place at the Weimar Court Theatre under the direction of Franz Liszt while Wagner remained in exile.
August 28, 1850	First performance of Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin at the Hoftheater in Weimar, with Franz Liszt conducting.
August 28, 1850	Richard Wagner's "Lohengrin" received its world premiere at the Grossherzogliches Hoftheater in Weimar, conducted by Franz Liszt. Wagner, then in political exile, was unable to attend.
November 9, 1870	Giuseppe Verdi attends a performance of Wagner’s "Lohengrin" at La Monnaie (Brussels) and annotates a score with his impressions.
November 1, 1871	First performance in Italy of Wagner’s "Lohengrin" at Teatro Comunale di Bologna, conducted by Angelo Mariani (Italian translation).
November 7, 1883	First performance of Wagner’s "Lohengrin" at the Metropolitan Opera, New York (company premiere season).
February 26, 2023	The Metropolitan Opera opens its spring season with a new production of Wagner’s "Lohengrin".

Images

Audio recordings

Year	Cast	Conductor, Opera chorus and orchestra	Label, Comment	Buy
1953	Lohengrin — Wolfgang Windgassen, Elsa von Brabant — Eleanor Steber, Ortrud — Astrid Varnay, Friedrich von Telramund — Hermann Uhde	Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus	Audio CD: Naxos, Cat: 8.110308 Live recording at the Bayreuth Festival
1963	Lohengrin — Jess Thomas, Elsa von Brabant — Elisabeth Grümmer, Ortrud — Christa Ludwig, Friedrich von Telramund — Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, König Heinrich der Vogler — Gottlob Frick, Herald — Otto Wiener	Rudolf Kempe Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna State Opera Chorus	Audio CD: EMI Classics, Cat: 67411	$15.13
1985	Lohengrin — Plácido Domingo, Elsa — Jessye Norman, Ortrud — Eva Randova, Telramund — Siegmund Nimsgern, König Heinrich — Hans Sotin, Der Heerrufer — Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau	Sir Georg Solti Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna State Opera Chorus	Audio CD: Decca, Cat: 470795	$7.60
1991	Lohengrin — Siegfried Jerusalem, Elsa von Brabant — Cheryl Studer, Ortrud — Waltraud Meier, Friedrich von Telramund — Hartmut Welker, König Heinrich der Vogler — Kurt Moll, Der Heerrufer des Königs — Andreas Schmidt, Vier brabantische Edle (Noblemen of Brabant) — Bojidar Nikolov, Franz Kasemann, Claudio Otelli, Peter Köves, Pages — Amy-Linda Domaracki, Ingrid Sieghart, Senta Fischer, Elisabeth Mach	Claudio Abbado Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna State Opera Chorus	Audio CD: Deutsche Grammophon, Cat: 437808	$11.09