The Hungarian State Opera is preparing a new production of Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin, directed by András Almási-Tóth and conducted by Martin Rajna. The opera will be presented in a “steampunk” setting, transposing the story into a conceptual framework inspired by 19th-century futurism.
The large-scale production involves more than 250 participants. It will feature the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, Chorus, and Children’s Chorus, and will be presented with both international and Hungarian casts.
A New Conceptual Framework
While Wagner’s plot is originally set in 10th-century Antwerp within a chivalric environment, the creators of the new production view it as “a thoroughly 19th-century romantic story”. Consequently, they have transposed the setting to Wagner’s own era.
The new staging envisions a steampunk world, described as “akin to the visionary, futuristic past imagined by Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and Mary Shelley”. The creative team includes Sebastian Hannak (sets and lighting), Krisztina Lisztopád (costumes), Zsombor Czeglédi (projections), and Eszter Lázár (choreography). Hannak is noted as one of the director’s longtime creative partners.
Directorial Interpretation
The opera explores questions such as whether a personal secret “strengthen[s] or poison[s] love,” and if a relationship can be happy if “we do not fully know the other person”. The plot centers on the mysterious Knight of the Swan. He arrives to save Elsa, who is accused of murder, and marries her on the condition that she never ask about his true identity. Partly due to the “machinations of the demonic Ortrud,” Elsa asks the forbidden question on their wedding day.
According to director András Almási-Tóth, Lohengrin’s tragedy lies in his role as a “representative of superhuman ideals”. The director states that Lohengrin “imposes expectations on human relationships that make his existence impossible in reality”.
Almási-Tóth explains that Lohengrin depicts a “male-dominated world” in which “Elsa must conform to a male fantasy of unconditional devotion”. He further elaborates that “Wagner’s genius lies in his multifaceted exploration of this question,” noting that “there is no clear good or evil, each character is both right and wrong at the same time”.
Casts and Musical Direction
Musical direction is led by Martin Rajna, the principal conductor of the Hungarian State Opera. Rajna is also set to serve as co-artistic director of the Budapest Wagner Days starting in 2026.
The production features over 100 musicians from the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra. It also includes more than 120 members of the Chorus, led by chorus director Gábor Csiki, and 30 members of the Children’s Chorus, led by chorus director Nikolett Hajzer.
The opera will be presented with dual casts of “outstanding soloists”:
- International Cast: The premiere’s international cast includes American tenor Christopher Sokolowski in the title role; he has previously performed the role in Bremen. South African soprano Johanni van Oostrum will portray Elsa, and Australian bass-baritone Derek Welton will sing King Heinrich. Both van Oostrum and Welton are described as frequent Wagner performers at Europe’s leading opera houses and are making their debuts at the Hungarian State Opera. The role of Ortrud will be sung by Romanian-Hungarian mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi, who debuted in the role two years ago at the San Francisco Opera. Her husband, Telramund, will be portrayed by Latvian bass-baritone Egils Siliņš. Siliņš returns to the Budapest Opera after performing in Siegfried in 2017.
- Hungarian Cast: This cast features artists described as “some of the finest and internationally acclaimed… of their generation”. Szabolcs Brickner (Lohengrin), Klára Kolonits (Elsa), and Károly Szemerédy (Telramund) will all be making their debuts in these roles. Szilvia Rálik, who portrays Ortrud, has previously sung the role at the Dortmund Theatre. Péter Fried, a recipient of the 2025 Kossuth Prize, will perform as King Heinrich, a role he has previously undertaken at both the Erkel Theatre and Müpa Budapest.
Schedule and Historical Context
The premiere is scheduled for 15 November 2025. Three additional performances are scheduled for 16, 18, and 20 November at the Hungarian State Opera.
Lohengrin was first performed in Hungary in 1866 at the National Theatre in Pest, where it was staged 77 times. The opera’s first act was performed at the 1884 opening of the Hungarian Royal Opera House, and Lohengrin was also the first music drama presented there in its entirety. It has remained one of the most frequently performed Wagner operas in the history of the Hungarian State Opera, with 512 total performances to date.
