Wagner's Lohengrin

The Philadelphia Orchestra brings Wagner's Lohengrin to Marian Anderson Hall on Sunday, April 11, 2027. It's part of a run that continues through April 18, so if that first date doesn't work, you've got a few more to choose from. The orchestra is joined by the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, and the whole thing is conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

For those who aren't familiar with the story, Lohengrin follows a mysterious knight whose identity must never be revealed. He arrives by swan boat to rescue a princess, and the drama builds around that one condition. It's a big production: the music itself runs about three hours and 35 minutes, which stretches to around four and a half hours when you factor in the intermission. You'll want to clear your afternoon and evening for it.

The cast is a full house. Stanislas de Barbeyrac takes the title role of Lohengrin, with Elza van den Heever as Elsa and Rebecca Nash as Ortrud. Brian Mulligan sings Telramund, and Soloman Howard is King Heinrich. With the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir on hand, the vocal side of things is as substantial as the orchestral.

Nézet-Séguin knows this piece well. His 2023 performances of Lohengrin at the Metropolitan Opera drew a lot of attention, with an Observer critic calling them "ravishing" and writing that "the strings float with gossamer lightness and the resplendent trumpets... raised the hairs on the back of my neck." This production brings that same work to Philadelphia. The hall is Marian Anderson Hall, inside the Kimmel Center at 300 S Broad St.