CONDUCTOR CHRISTIAN THIELEMANN ABOUT »LOHENGRIN«

In their »blue-silver beauty« (Thomas Mann) Lohengrin and the world of the Grail call for the key of A major, the two antagonists Ortrud and Telramund for the dark, wild F sharp minor (relative minor), and everything to do with the king for the striking but ultimately empty C major.

The king has the brass on his side, Ortrud and Telramund are grounded in woodwind and low strings, and Lohengrin is surrounded by a gliding radiance of divided violins. At the same time, Lohengrin’s and Elsa’s leitmotifs are reflected in each other, and even Ortrud’s sphere is con- cealed in these. This is the world we live in, Wagner says – you can never have good without evil, heaven without hell.