The prop 7

A swan’s wings

..., as explained by Wiebke Horn, costumes director

In our production of LOHENGRIN the eponymous hero wears a frame with two outsized swan’s wings on his back. That’s our way of rendering the vision Wagner had of his hero arriving in a boat drawn by a swan. If we were to stage that exact scene nowadays, the effect on the audience would probably be unintentionally comical. By having our Lohengrin actually wear the wings, we are making it plain that he is deliberately making a spectacular entrance, for the sake of a ‘Wow’ effect on the credulous populace. The frame was specially made, with pads for the back and upholstered in white leather. As Lohengrin has to wear his wings throughout the opera, we have to make sure they sit well and are not too heavy for the singer. The wings are made of a mixture of real duck and swan feathers and have a span of two metres. And we also had another set of wings made for use in rehearsals.

Brandon Jovanovich als Lohengrin
Lohengrin © Bettina Stöß
 

Newsletter

News about the schedule
and the start of advance booking
Personal recommendations
Special offers ...
Stay well informed!

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe to our Newsletter and receive 25% off your next ticket purchase.

* Mandatory field





Newsletter