WAGNERIAN EXCELLENCE

Under the watchful eye of music director Eun Sun Kim, San Francisco Opera bring Wagner's medieval romance Lohengrin to the War Memorial Opera House this fall, starring Simon O'Neill and Julie Adams in the lead roles. A highly influential piece which includes the now ubiquitous 'Bridal Chorus' Lohengrin was created between the composer's Tannhauser and the Ring Cycle, marking his maturity and the future direction that his operatic works would take.

What is the story?

Also known as the Swan Knight, Lohengrin is a character first seen in Wagner's own Parsifal, in turn, based on an epic medieval poem by Wolfram Von Eschenbach. Appearing in a realm divided by politics and the fight for religious domination, Lohengrin promises to unite the people, strengthen the country and save the life of a desperate noblewoman wrongly accused of the murder of her brother, one condition - they may never know the mysterious knight's identity. But will they resist the lure of the forbidden or will they lose their benefactor and devolve into crisis once more?