Wagner never set foot in Barcelona. Even so, the Catalan capital is considered one of the most Wagnerian cities, and will also be the setting for the world premiere of Lohengrin, the first Wagner opera to be seen in the city, now reinterpreted by the German composer's great-granddaughter. Katharina Wagner will travel to the Gran Teatre del Liceu to direct six performances of this work, considered the musician's most lyrical opera, alongside musical director Josep Pons, leading the Liceu Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
The production was originally scheduled for the Liceu's 2019-2020 season, but the pandemic forced the suspension of all performances. In 2022, the Leipzig Opera (Germany) rescheduled these performances but, once again, they were canceled due to logistical problems. Finally, five years after the start of the lockdown, the reinterpretation of this classic —originally premiered in 1850— will be seen for the first time at the Liceu. The six performances will feature an exceptional cast and some of the most prestigious Wagnerian voices, with tenor Klaus Florian Vogt as Lohengrin and sopranos Iréne Theorin, as Ortrud, and Elisabeth Teige, who plays Elsa von Brabant.
The premiere will offer the most philosophical and existentialist view of this opera, in which the composer's great-granddaughter and director of the Bayreuth festival presents a decadent world where love has disappeared and its antagonist, death, is the constant protagonist on stage. A cold and almost inert world that seems to resurface only with the arrival of the knight Lohengrin, who becomes the bearer of all forces of good and offers prosperity to the people of Brabant in exchange for no one asking him about his name or origin.
A "daring yet interesting" proposal, according to the Liceu's artistic director, Víctor García de Gomar, which opens the door for performers to seek "new colors" in the characters of the work. For his part, the Liceu's musical director, Josep Pons, who will once again conduct a Wagner work, has expressed that facing this composer is always a great challenge, "a Himalaya." Pons has detailed that, on this occasion, efforts have been made to ensure that "the interpretive style is light, that the singing line leads with a modern and magical orchestra."
The stage director, great-granddaughter of the German composer, presents a wooded set design that transports the viewer to the cold atmosphere of the Duchy of Brabant. A natural environment that is complemented by three large suspended cubes that appear during the third act and symbolize the three worlds of the protagonists, Lohengrin, Elsa, and Ortrud, who seem condemned not to understand each other. Through this scenic resource, Katharina Wagner gives more importance to the psychological background of the opera, delving into the emotions of its protagonists, and leaving political and historical aspects, such as the 19th-century German national construction, very present in the original opera by the German composer, in the background.
The world premiere will take place on Monday, March 17. The performance will not feature soprano Iréne Theorin due to "disagreements" with the stage director and Wagner's great-granddaughter, and she will be replaced by Miina-Liisa Värelä, although she will perform in the rest of the scheduled functions until March 30. The performances are part of the Barcelona Obertura Ciutat de Clàssica program, the festival promoted by the Liceu, the Palau de la Música, and L'Auditori with the aim of promoting the Catalan capital through its exquisite classical music offering.