Lohengrin, by Richard Wagner

 

Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts that takes three and a half hours to perform. It was written by Richard Wagner, being completed in 1848. This was a momentous year in European politics, with revolutions and uprisings in a number of countries, including Germany. Wagner was involved in an uprising in his home city of Dresden, with the result that he was exiled to Switzerland and was unable to premiere his new opera as intended. He petitioned his friend (and future father-in-law) Franz Liszt to arrange the premiere on his behalf in Weimar in 1850.

Wagner’s romanticism was largely based on ancient legends and mysticism with strong Gothic influences. These trends would come to the fore in his much later Ring Cycle operas, but were certainly present in his earlier operas including Lohengrin. The plot of this opera was based on a mediaeval epic poem, “Parsifal”, to which Wagner added his own embellishments including elements of ancient Greek tragedy.

The setting is the city of Antwerp during the reign of King Heinrich I of Saxony (876-936)

Act One

There is discord at the court of King Heinrich when Count Friedrich accuses Elsa von Brabant of murdering her brother. He had previously been rejected by her and married the sorceress Ortrud instead.

The King declares that the accusation must be settled by combat, with Elsa’s champion fighting Friedrich. This turns out to be a mysterious knight who arrives on a boat led by a swan. He agrees to be Elsa’s champion on condition that should he win she will marry him but must never enquire about his identity.

The fight takes place with the knight overcoming Friedrich but sparing his life.

Act Two

There are celebrations in the castle of Antwerp, but outside the walls Ortrud persuades Friedrich to seek revenge. When Elsa steps onto a balcony to confess her joy, Ortrud cunningly elicits her pity. Ortrud warns Elsa not to trust the knight.

In the morning, the King’s herald proclaims the knight to be “Protector of Brabant”. Elsa arrives in a wedding procession but Ortrud intervenes and accuses the knight of sorcery. When Friedrich arrives he calls on the knight to reveal his name but the knight refuses to do so.

Act Three

The act opens with the famous Wedding March that has been used at weddings ever since the opera was first performed.

Once married, Elsa, troubled by the doubts instilled in her by Ortrud, asks the knight to reveal his name. Friedrich arrives to take his revenge by attacking the knight but is killed by him.

In front of the King, the knight presents Friedrich’s body and accuses Elsa of breaking her vow. He then reveals that he is Lohengrin, the son of Parsifal and a Knight of the Grail. He must now, with his identity revealed, return to the home of the Grail at Montsalvat instead of leading an army on behalf of King Heinrich.

The swan and the boat reappear. Ortrud boasts that it was her magic that transformed Elsa’s apparently murdered brother into the swan. In response to Lohengrin’s prayer, a dove appears. He takes a chain from the swan which then transforms back into Elsa’s brother, Gottfried.

Lohengrin departs on the boat, now led by the dove. Elsa calls out to her husband then dies in her brother’s arms.

© John Welford

Gotterdamerung, by Richard Wagner: a summary of the plot

Gotterdamerung is the fourth and final part of the Ring Cycle, in which the twists and turns of the other three operas come to a stupendous, if slightly contrived, conclusion. The usual English translation of the title is "The Twilight of the Gods", although other variations on the theme are used on occasion.

Prelude (which makes a change from leaving us in the dark, which has been Wagner's practice up until now)

The Norns, who control the fate of both men and gods, weave the thread of life, but it breaks. They therefore know that the destruction of all things is at hand. Siegfried leaves Brunnhilde behind so that he can set forth upon new adventures, but he leaves the ring in her safe keeping. However, he has the invisible cap, his sword Helpneed, and Brunnhilde's winged steed with him, so he probably reckons that he should be OK. Big mistake.

Act 1, Scene 1.  The court of King Gunther

Siegfried is welcomed warmly by powerful King Gunther, but among the company is Hagen, the son of Alberich, who knows all about Siegfried. He brews a potion for Siegfried that causes him to forget his past. He therefore loses all memory of Brunnhilde and proceeds to fall for Gunther's sister, Gutrune, and to ask for her hand in marriage. If you remember, his parents were pretty quick operators in the love department, too. The King agrees, but asks for Brunnhilde as his own wife. You might have thought that Siegfried's answer would be "Who's Brunnhilde?", but he agrees to go along with Gunther and seals the deal.

Act 1, Scene 2. The mountain pass

Valtraute, one of the Valkyrie, pleads with Brunnhilde to restore the ring to the Rhine-maidens, as this is the only thing that can save the gods from destruction. However, Brunnhilde doesn't see why she should do the gods any favours, given how they have treated her, and the ring is not hers to give up anyway. Siegfried enters, but he is using the invisible cap (he hasn't forgotten what that's all about, obviously) to change his appearance to that of Gunther. She has no intention of coming quietly but is forced to follow "Gunther" back to the King's court. The ring is also taken from her finger, which is something else that Siegfried has not forgotten about.

Act 2. Gunther's court

The King publicly proclaims Brunnhilde as his Queen, and gives Gutrune's hand to Siegfried. Brunnhilde is puzzled by all this, understandably enough, especially when she sees the ring on Siegfried's finger. She has a go at Siegfried, but he is still under the influence of Hagen's potion.

Brunnhilde is now furious with Siegfried and is happy to listen to Hagen's plot to kill him. Hagen's motivation, of course, is to get hold of the ring. The plot consists of persuading Gunther that Siegfried has been making passes at Brunnhilde, and this is enough for Gunther to become Siegfried's enemy as well. And the day had started so well.

Act 3. The bank of the Rhine

Siegfried is out hunting, and is separated from the rest of the court party, when he comes across the Rhine-maidens who ask him for the ring, pointing out that he can only escape his own destruction by so doing. Well, it would persuade me, but Siegfried is made of sterner stuff and he refuses to oblige. Gunther, Hagen and the other hunters enter and, as they rest from their exertions, they ask Siegfried to relate his adventures. The potion is starting to wear off and, as Siegfried gets to the bit about Brunnhilde, he stops, puzzled. Hagen seizes his opportunity and thrusts his spear between Siegfried's shoulders. As he lies dying, his memory clears completely and he calls for Brunnhilde. Hagen and Gunther both try to seize the ring, and in the struggle Gunther is killed.

Gutrune mourns the loss of her husband and her brother. Brunnhilde, who now knows the truth, enters and calms everyone down, ordering a funeral pyre to be built for Siegfried. As it burns, she mounts it and is consumed as well. The waters of the Rhine rise and engulf everyone, whether dead or alive, including Hagen who now has the ring.

The ring is therefore now back with the Rhine-maidens, and in the sky can be seen a huge blaze as Valhalla and all the gods are destroyed.

© John Welford

Siegfried, by Richard Wagner: a summary of the plot

This is a less than completely reverent summary of the plot of Siegfried, the third of the four operas that comprise Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle

Siegfried

The third part of the Ring Cycle takes place twenty years after the events of Die Valkyrie, or however long they give you between operas at Bayreuth if you're enjoying (or enduring) the whole cycle in one fell swoop.

At the close of Die Valkyrie, Brunnhilde was at the top of a mountain, fenced in by magic flames, and Sieglinde was in possession of Siegmund's broken sword. She has, as Brunnhilde foretold, given birth to a son, named Siegfried, who appears not to have been born with extra fingers or toes, despite his parents being brother and sister. However, Sieglinde died in childbirth, so that's one character fewer for the casting director to worry about.

Act 1. Mime's forge in the forest

Remember Mime? He's the smith who, at the command of Alberich the dwarf, made the ring that all the fuss is about, as well as an invisible cap that enables the wearer to change shape. He has been trying to make a sword for young Siegfried, who is living with Mime and being taught the smith's trade, but none of his efforts have been up to scratch.

Wotan enters and tells Mime that Siegfried will himself make a sword from the fragments of Siegmund's sword, and that it will be invincible. When Siegfried comes home he proceeds to do exactly that. He then tests it on his master's anvil which he cuts in half, which does not sound like a wise career move. All good swords in opera and legend have names, and this one is to be called "Helpneed".

Act 2. The forest in front of the dragon's cave

Another character who has skipped an opera is Fafner, the giant who possesses the Rhine-maidens' gold, the ring and the shape-shifting cap. He now guards the treasure in a cave, having assumed the form of a dragon. Outside the cave we find our old friend Alberich, who still fancies his chances of stealing the gold back again; it was he who stole it in the first place, if you recall. As with a lot of these scenes, Wotan turns up and warns him that a hero is on his way who will defeat everyone he meets.

Siegfried has been told about the dragon by Mime, but he reckons that Fafner will be a good test for his new sword. On the way, the Wood Bird has been singing warnings to him, but he does not understand what she is trying to say. He summons Fafner to a fight and duly kills him. However, a drop of the dragon's blood touches his tongue, and he finds that he can now understand the Wood Bird's warning, which was that Mime is trying to poison him. He therefore kills Mime, takes the ring, and follows the Wood Bird, who leads him towards the mountain where Brunnhilde is awaiting release by a superhero. Siegfried is now wearing the ring that gives him ultimate power and he wields an invincible sword. The lad's got it made, hasn't he?

Act 3 - A mountain pass

Erda, the earth-spirit, has warned Wotan that the gods are doomed, but he determines to do what he can to stop Siegfried. It's no contest, really. Helpneed the sword shatters Wotan's spear, the magic flames die away, and Siegfried gets his girl, although she has to exchange her immortality for the sake of his love.

However, this cannot be the end of the story – there’s still another whole opera in the pipeline!

© John Welford

Die Walkure, by Richard Wagner: a summary of the plot

Die Walkure is the second of the four operas that make up the Ring Cycle, the first being Das Rheingold. A summary of the plot is given here.

Wagner does not tell the whole story on stage, so for a full understanding of what is going on it is necessary to know a little background detail.

Wotan is concerned that the gods are under threat, because they have lost control of the ring made from the Rhine maidens' gold (see Das Rheingold). He has therefore created an elite defence force of Valkyrie, who are warrior maidens whose duty is to convey to Valhalla, on their winged steeds, the bodies of the noblest warriors who have been slain in battle. There they will live again to fight on behalf of the gods.

Oh, and another thing you should know; in the interval since Das Rheingold (probably about half an hour if you're doing the full cycle at Bayreuth) Wotan has begotten two kids of his own, brother and sister Siegmund and Sieglinde, who have grown into adulthood in ignorance of each other's existence.

Act 1. A forest hut, built around the trunk of a giant ash tree

Hunding, a warrior, lives here with his wife Sieglinde, whom he carried away from her home in childhood, against her will. However, a mysterious stranger has promised her that a protector will turn up one day. The stranger has driven a sword, up to its hilt, into the ash tree, and the protector will be the only person who can withdraw it (a touch of the King Arthurs here, methinks).

As the scene opens, Hunding is away and Sieglinde opens the door to an exhausted stranger. This is Siegmund, a mortal enemy of Hunding. When Hunding returns he challenges Siegmund to combat, but grants him hospitality for the night before the fight.

Siegmund and Sieglinde find themselves attracted to each other, and Sieglinde prepares a sleeping draught for Hunding when he retires for the night. As they converse, the pair find out that they are brother and sister, and Siegmund discovers that he can withdraw the sword from the tree trunk. You only get one guess as to who it was who put the sword there in the first place. The couple leave the hut and flee into the forest.

Act 2. A mountain pass

Wotan's master plan had been that his two earth children should meet and mate, but his plan does not meet the approval of Fricka, who is Mrs Wotan. She points out that this is ever so slightly immoral. She gets her way in the argument and Wotan feels constrained to send Brunnhilde, his favourite Valkyrie maiden, to deliver Siegmund to his enemy, Hunding. Brunnhilde does not like the idea but has no choice but to obey, although she also knows that it is not what Wotan really wants.

As the scene opens, Brunnhilde finds the lovers and warns Siegmund of his fate. She finds that she cannot obey Wotan and resolves to shield them at any cost, so when Hunding arrives and engages Siegmund in battle, she protects the latter. However, Wotan himself then turns up and shatters Siegmund's sword. Hunding kills Siegmund, but is himself killed by Wotan. Brunnhilde appreciates that she is in trouble and escapes, taking Sieglinde with her.

Act 3. The haunt of the Valkyries

Brunnhilde begs her sister Valkyrie to protect her from the wrath of Wotan, but they are understandably reluctant to stand up against the mightiest of the gods. They do, however, promise to watch over Sieglinde. Brunnhilde comforts Sieglinde and tells her that she will have a son who will be the greatest of heroes. It would appear that Siegmund and Sieglinde had found something to do to pass the time while waiting for Act 2 to begin. Sieglinde is instructed to look after the pieces of Siegmund's broken sword, which Brunnhilde had presumably collected after the fight with Hunding, but before escaping from Wotan.

When Wotan arrives, he pronounces sentence on Brunnhilde (for doing what he would have done himself had it not been for the missus, remember). After a bit of pleading on Brunnhilde's part, her fate is to be imprisoned on an almost inaccessible mountain peak hedged about by magic flames. She can only be freed by a hero, who will claim her for his bride.

© John Welford

Das Rheingold, by Richard Wagner: a summary of the plot

This is a summary of the plot of Richard Wagner’s scene-setting first opera of The Ring Cycle. Das Rheingold was first performed in Munich in 1869.

Das Rheingold

Das Rheingold is the first of the four operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen, usually referred to as the Ring Cycle. Wagner based the story on a number of Scandinavian and Norse myths, and disentangling his sources has provided many a scholar with material for a PhD. The operas, which took 26 years to complete, are often performed separately, but the full story is only appreciated by seeing all four, although some of the necessary narrative is not presented on stage. The basic idea, of a magic ring that gives awesome power to the wearer, but which must eventually be destroyed, will be familiar to any reader of Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", and the coincidence is not entirely accidental.

Act 1.  The River Rhine (not on it, but in it!)

Suspension of disbelief is required right from the start, as we are on the bed of the river and the characters are still able to sing! The three Rhine-maidens guard a quantity of gold that has the power to give the owner boundless power, the only snag being that he or she must forswear love for ever. Alberich the dwarf has his eye on the gold, and he manages to trick the maidens into telling him its secret. He likes the idea of being master of the world and is not too bothered about the loss of a love life, so he steals the gold and makes off with it.

Act 2. The gardens of Valhalla, the home of the gods (a bit of a challenge for the scene shifters)

The giants Fasolt and Fafner have built Valhalla for the gods, and it is time to be paid. The deal, worked out by Loki, god of fire, with Wotan, the chief god, is that the price is Freya, the goddess of love. When the giants carry her off the flowers wither and die, the trees refuse to bear fruit, and the gods start to grow old. There is only one thing to be done, which is that the giants must be bought off with, you guessed it, the magic gold, which is now guarded by the dwarves deep underground. Wotan and Loki set off to find it.

Act 3. The cavern of the dwarves

Alberich is guarding the gold with great care. He has used some of the gold to make a ring which gives him power over both gods and men. He has also commanded Mime the smith to make him an invisible cap that enables him to assume any shape he pleases. When Wotan and Loki turn up, he boastingly shows off his powers by turning himself into, firstly, a dragon and then, at Loki's suggestion, a toad (another challenge of staging!). Loki captures the toad and refuses to release him until he has given up all his treasures, including the cap and the ring. Alberich, however, puts a curse on anyone who subsequently wears the ring.

Act 4. Valhalla

Wotan and Loki return in triumph with the treasure and summon Fasolt and Fafner to meet them. The giants bring Freya along and the gold is presented to them, although Wotan secretly hopes to keep hold of the cap and the ring. However, the giants demand these as well, and threaten to carry Freya off with them again. Wotan has no choice but to yield, but he foresees dire consequences. The curse of the ring does not take long to show itself, as the giants immediately quarrel between themselves and Fafner kills Fasolt. The opera ends with the gods crossing a rainbow bridge into their palace and the Rhine-maidens are heard lamenting their loss.

© John Welford