The shimmering opening to the prelude and the atmospheric front cloth were positive omens for this new Lohengrin; when the swan arrived this all turned to magic. Few productions that I have seen in over fifty years have managed to combine the stark brutality of teutonic warfare with the mystical realm of the grail so successfully. There may have been some minor problems with illness but these can hit any company at any time. To still be such an overwhelming success is heartening. Added to this the startling conclusion came out of the blue. Gottfried, returned long before the state is ready for him, proves to be as arrogant an authoritarian as any before him, and thus all of Lohengrin’s Buddhist-leaning desires go unrequited – to say nothing of the emotional tangles with Elsa.

Anthony McDonald’s set designs did not look promising in the models, but proved highly effective in performance. The late nineteenth century military costumes, the oppressive Protestantism of the chorus, waving their bibles, and the desolation of the building did not prepare us for Thomas Rowlands’ swan drawing Lohengrin’s boat – two radically different worlds crashing into each other. Though Peter Wedd’s knight looked as teutonic as any of the others on stage, with his short blonde hair and military baring, his clothing is revealed as monk-like, and his expectations towards peace and unity. That he fails is as much a result of the society into which he comes as it is Elsa’s for demanding to know his background. The nineteenth century setting helps us to understand the tension in Emma Bell’s Elsa, torn between fairy-tales which come true and a world which does not trust outsiders. If this were just a fairy-tale, it would be Elsa’s fault for giving in too easily, but we are presented with a palpably real world which does not take easily to genius however useful they are on occasions.

Susan Bickley’s Ortrud is alive to all of the nuances of the narrative as they unfold. She may have little to sing in act one but was magnificent in her silence as she manipulates events. It is telling that she is struck down at the end by Gottfried as if he has inherited Lohengrin’s power which overcame her husband. It is difficult not to feel sorry for Telramund, and Claudio Otelli makes much of the nobility of the character as well as his authority. The opening of act two was particularly effective in the shifting power relationship between Ortrud and Telramund.

There was an apology before the start for Matthew Best who had a throat infection. He sang bravely, and we put in the top notes for him where they were missing. What proved more interesting was the unusually hesitant characterisation he gave which I do not think was simply as a result of his vocal problem. He seemed to be showing us a weakened King, who needs an outsider like Lohengrin to galvanise the situation. At the end he is at the mercy of Gottfried – woe unto the country where the king is a child.

Throughout the evening the chorus had sung magnificently, the raised staging helping to project the voices in the outer acts and the close proximity helping in the second. Accuracy and flair were never in doubt.

The orchestra have been on superb form for some time now and this built on their reputation for Wagner in Die Meistersinger two years ago. I have never heard the act three entr’acte, with ten trumpets in the auditorium, so thrillingly played. It was a fitting build into the final scene, where Peter Wedd started In fernem land sitting and speaking quietly to Elsa, becoming gradually more powerful until we were aware of the anger he felt at having to announce who he was.

I do hope that this production will be revived. In a world that is too often at the mercy of directorial ideas which go awry, here is a production which does no disservice to either music or narrative but would allow for differing approaches to any of the lead parts. Let us see it again soon! BH