War and Zombies: Richard Laing finds Kirill Serebrennikov’s flawed but fascinating production of ‘Lohengrin’ enlivened by some stellar performances

Of all Wagner’s mature works, Lohengrin is most imbued with the spirit of militarism. So it is no surprise that Russian director and critic of the Ukraine war Kirill Serebrennikov sets the opera – livestreamed from Paris – in a modern combat zone. Sadly, European audiences in October 2023 had two nearby wars in which they might mentally place the action, though Serebrennikov also alludes to earlier and more distant conflicts: Lohengrin appears dressed as an American serviceman, complete with M-65 military jacket (perhaps he is AWOL from his unit, so doesn’t want to give his name) and when he eventually departs, the country is arguably in a worse state than it was before he arrived.