Conceived during a holiday in the spa-town of Marienbad, Lohengrin stands at the crossroads of Richard Wagner’s operatic oeuvre: it was the last work composed before his political exile (as a result of his participation in the Dresden Uprising) while offering a glimpse of the leitmotivic technique that would become the signature of his late style. In this week’s episode of The ABR Podcast, Peter Rose reads his review of the recent production of Lohengrin that ran at the Arts Centre Melbourne from 14–24 May. A collaboration between Opera Australia and La Monnaie in Brussels, this Lohengrin was directed by Olivier Py and featured an all-star cast, including the internationally renowned Jonas Kaufmann, Emily Magee, and Warwick Fyfe. ‘At his best,’ Rose observes, ‘Wagner stirs us, slays us, seduces us as no other composer can – a unique entrancement.’

Peter Rose is Editor of ABR.