The last Bayreuth "Lohengrin," directed by Gotz Friedrich, emphasized the opera's militant, patriarchal underpinnings to make contemporary political points.
Was it necessary, for this light French girl's role, to rope in an acclaimed Straussian soprano and a mainstay at Bayreuth, where she will sing Elsa in "Lohengrin" this summer?
In 1961, Patane became the first Italian to conduct Richard Wagner's "Lohengrin" in Linz, Austria, and in 1962 he became conductor of the German Opera in Berlin.
His Italianate delivery - which stood him in good stead in previous Heldentenor roles such as Lohengrin - was inappropriate to Siegmund.
"Lohengrin" is a romantic fairy tale with nationalistic and religious undercurrents.