Opera: Wagner in Slo-Mo

By Martha Duffy

Can it be that the Holy Grail was really in Japan? American theater artist Robert Wilson seems to think so. For the Zurich Opera, Wilson has conjured up a LOHENGRIN that is far removed from Wagner's realm of Brabant. The composer's scenario is full of feudal warfare and knightly swordplay. But Wilson, whose career has included such mesmerizing efforts as Einstein on the Beach and the CIVIL warS, avoids conventional stage action, particularly the use of arms and hands. So this is a slo-mo Lohengrin with formalized gestures that recall tai chi. In place of the banks of the River Scheldt are huge, gradually shifting columns of light. It is a tribute to Wilson's dramatic cunning that the production is a striking success. The stylized motion and lighting intensify the visceral excitement in the score and heighten the stark contest between the hero and the villainess Ortrud. And the singers, especially Gosta Winbergh in the title role, are first rate. Blessed with a sizable lyric tenor, Winbergh sings Lohengrin's famous farewell softly -- as it is almost never done -- and makes it heartbreaking. M.D.