Heldentenor Carl Beck, The First LohengrinThe first production of Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin was in Weimar, Germany on 28 August 1850 under the direction of Franz Liszt, a close friend and early supporter of Wagner. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself inspired by the epic of Garin le Loherain. It is part of the Knight of the Swan tradition.
This is the opera which contains the famous "Bridal March" ("Here Comes The Bride "- NOT Wagner's intended words!!)
At the end of the story Lohengrin is taken away on the back of a swan. There is a famous story that during a production of the opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the heldentenor Leo Slezak (father of TV & film actor Walter, grandfather of soap star Erika) was singing his final aria "Mein Liebe Schwann". During the aria a swan was set to come onstage on a track and he would leave with it. However, during the tune the swan came on early and when Slezak turned to leave he saw the swan had gone. And he turned to the audience and said, "What time is the next swan?"
This is the opera which contains the famous "Bridal March" ("Here Comes The Bride "- NOT Wagner's intended words!!)
At the end of the story Lohengrin is taken away on the back of a swan. There is a famous story that during a production of the opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the heldentenor Leo Slezak (father of TV & film actor Walter, grandfather of soap star Erika) was singing his final aria "Mein Liebe Schwann". During the aria a swan was set to come onstage on a track and he would leave with it. However, during the tune the swan came on early and when Slezak turned to leave he saw the swan had gone. And he turned to the audience and said, "What time is the next swan?"
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