Morning journal and courier., 1888-01-19
THE STORY

Upon Which Wagner Built the Plot
 of LOhengrIn The National opera
 Company.
 The coming production by the Nationa Opera company of Richard Wagner's most notable work, "Lohengrin," will occur on Thursday night, January 18th, at the Hyper ion. The music of this most popular opera is probably more familiar to the concert stage in this country than any other of the great conposer's works, but the story on which Wagner built his great work is not so widely known, and a perusal of it will be both in- teresting and beneficial to all unacquainted with the story and who will attend the pro- duetion by the National opera of this notable work. The story of "Lohengrin," the son of Parsifal, upon which Wagner has based his drama, is taken from many sources, the old Celtic legend of King Arthur, his knights and the Holy Grail being mixed up with the distinctively German legend of knight who arrives in boat drawn by swan. The yer sion used by Wagner is supposed to be told by Wolfram von Eschenbach, the minnesin- ger, at one of the Wartburg con tests, and is in substance as follows: Henry I, King of Germany, 
 for the purpose of raising force to help him expel the Hungarians, who are threaten ing his dominions. He finds Brabant in a condition of anarchy, Gottfried, the young son of the late duke, has nysseriously dlsap- peared, and Telramund, the husband of Ortrud, daughter of the Prince of Friesland, !, claims the dukedom. The claimant openly charges Elsa, sister of Gottfried, with having murdered him to obtain the sovereignty, and she is summoned be- fore the King to submit her cause to the ordeal of battle between Telramund and any knight whom she may name. She de- scribes a champion whom she has seen 1n a vision and conjures him to appear in her be- half After triple summons by the her aids he is seen approaching on the scheldt ln boat drawn by a swan. Before the combat Lohengrin betroths himself to Elsa, naming only the condition that she shall never question him as to his name or race She aesents and the combat results in Telramund's defeat and public disgrace. In the second act occur the bridal ceremonies, prior to which, moved by Ortrud's entreaties, Elsa promises to obtain a reprieve for Telramund from the sntence which has been pronounced against him. At the same time Ortrud takes advantage of her success to install doubts in Elsa's mind as to her future happiness and the faithfulness of Lohengrip. In the next scene, as the bridal cortege is about to enter the minister, Ortrud claims the right of precedence by virtue of her rank and Telramund publicly accuses Lohengrin of sorcery. The faith of Elsa, how- ever, is not shaken. The two conspirators are ordered to stand aside, the train enters the church and Elsa and Lohengrin are united The third act opens in the bridal chamber. The seeds of curiosity and distrust which Ortrud has sown in Esa's mind have ripened, and ill spite of the conviction that it will end her happiness she questions Lehen- grin with increasing vehemence, at last open ly demanding to know his secret. At this iuncture Telramund breaks into the apart ment with four followers, intending to take the life of Lohengrin. A single blow of the knights sword stretches him lifeless. He then places Elsa in charge of her ladies and orders them to take her to the presence of the King, whither he also repairs. Compelled by his wife's unfortunate rashness he discloses him self as the son of Parsifal, knight of the Holy Grail, and announces that he must now re- turn to it's guardianship. His swan once more appears and as he steps into the boat he bids Elsa an eternal farewell. Before he sails away, however, Ortrud declares to the crowd that the swan is Elsas brother, who has been bewitched by herself into this form and would have been released but for Elsa's GU riosity. Lohengrin at once disenchants the swan and Gottfried appears and rushes into his sisters arms. A white dove flies through the air and takes the place of the swan, and Lohengrin sails away as Elsa dies in the embrace of her newly found brother. The prelude to the opera takes for it's subject the descent of the Holy Grail, the mysterious symbol of the Christian faith and the Grail motif is the key to the whole work. The delicious harnonies which accompany it's descent increase in warmth and power until the sacred mystery is revealed to human eyes, and then die away to pianissimo and grad ually disappear as the angels bearing the holy vessel return to their celestial abode.
 Tickets go on sale next Monday morning at o'clock.