Richard Wagner

Lohengrin, WWV 75: Act I, Sc. 2: Elsa's Dream and Swan Chorus

Finished in 1848 and premiered in 1850 in Weimar, Germany, Richard Wagner's (1813-1883) Lohengrin tells a story of a tragic medieval German romance in the Knight of the Swan tradition. Elsa, a princess in Brabant, is rescued and wedded by a knight in shining armor who insists on remaining nameless. The opera received its premiere on August 18, 1850, at the Court Theatre in Weimar, conducted by Franz Liszt while Wagner himself was living in exile after the 1849 Dresden uprising. Today Lohengrin stands as one of Wagner's most frequently performed operas, occupying a central place between his early Romantic style and his later music dramas. In the pivotal Scene 2 from Act I, Elsa's introduces her visionary dream of her savior, followed by the radiant choral welcome of Lohengrin's arrival on the Swan. Instrumentation: 3.3+EH.3+BCl.3: 4.3.3.1: Timp.Perc(1): Hp: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set): 3 Solo Voices (SBarB): Double Chorus: Banda (4Tpt.). Reprint edition.