This year’s Easter Festival at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden was marked by a new production of Wagner’s Lohengrin, conducted by Joana Mallwitz with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and directed by Johannes Erath. Presented to full houses, the production quickly became one of the most talked-about events of the festival.

At its centre stood Piotr Beczała in the title role, delivering a performance that drew exceptional acclaim from both audiences and critics. His Lohengrin emerged as the defining element of the production, widely recognised for its musical refinement, vocal control, and interpretative depth.

Rather than relying on sheer vocal force, Beczała shaped the role through line, legato, and precision, creating a portrayal of rare nobility. His luminous tone, natural phrasing, and effortless projection allowed him to meet the demands of the role while maintaining clarity and elegance throughout.

Particular attention was given to the Grail narration in the third act, where his use of pianissimo and dynamic control created moments of striking intensity. These passages became a highlight of the evening, demonstrating both technical mastery and a deep understanding of Wagner’s musical language.

With its strong musical leadership and a compelling central performance, Lohengrin in Baden-Baden was widely regarded as a major success. At the heart of it stood Piotr Beczała — a triumph that resonated both on stage and across the international press.

Selected Press Reviews

The critical response to Piotr Beczała’s performance has been extensive and enthusiastic. Selected excerpts from leading reviews are presented below:

“Timeless Piotr Beczała sings the title role — soft, gentle, not of this world…” – DIE WELT

“The title role, after all, was cast with the Polish tenor Piotr Beczała, who most recently, in 2025 at the Bayreuth Festival, sent audiences into ecstasy in this role and who has now, in Baden-Baden as well, demonstrated that he is currently the leading singer for this role — indeed, that he is setting a milestone in Wagner singing here altogether. His portrayal is marked by legendary presence and radiance, but above all he sings with a fullness and beauty of tone, as well as with a seemingly effortless vocality, that inspires amazement bar by bar.” – Die Rheinpfalz

“Piotr Beczała is Lohengrin and sings one to their knees — a tenor of world class.” – Der Opernfreund

“Piotr Beczała sings Lohengrin with a luminous tenor, a gentle vocal colouring, and cantabile melodic phrasing. He manages his vocal resources well, so that he still has sufficient reserves for the Grail narration in the final act.” – Kulturjoker

“It was, as expected, Piotr Beczała who stood out above the rest, having long since established himself in Bayreuth (…) as one of the era’s Lohengrin interpreters. With his “white swan feather mantle,” he is here the radiant tenor knight without fear or reproach.” – Opern.News

“At the centre of the evening, however, stood Piotr Beczała — and in a way that renders any hasty superlative rhetoric unnecessary, because the performance itself already says everything. What he shaped out of the title role was singing of extraordinary nobility, technical integrity, and stylistic penetration. From the very first entry, there was that rare quality of tone that does not merely sound, but transforms the character of the space itself. This voice does not step forward — it appears. It possesses no aggressive dominance, no outward heroism, and derives precisely from this its eminent authority. For Beczała’s Lohengrin is founded on something that has become rare in Wagner singing: complete mastery of the vocal line (…) His timbre possessed beauty, but not mere pleasantness; his upper register had brilliance, but no aggressive sharpness; his phrasing was softly bound without becoming formless. The voice always remained in a noble, focused flow.” – Wochenblatt Reporter

“At present, one can hardly find anyone better for the title role than Piotr Beczała. His still lyrically slender, yet powerful tenor convinces with warmth in the sound and a wonderfully shaped vocal line. The demanding upward interval leaps he negotiates elegantly with the head voice.” – Badische Zeitung

“Piotr Beczała, probably still the best Lohengrin at present, sings the title role with compelling perfection and clarity of text. In his Grail narration in the third act, he makes the miracle of the strength-giving dove doubly admirable through a sudden pianissimo for the bird of peace.” – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

“Ultimately, Piotr Beczała as Lohengrin proves to be a lyrical tenor of original strength, just as one could wish for him here: without any affected exaggeration, but with all the more intelligent, professional fine control of the vocal means.” – Concerti.de

“Piotr Beczała sings Lohengrin with a timbre and a radiance that quite literally fill the large hall with delight. He reaches the high point in the Grail narration: at the word “dove,” he suddenly breaks into a pianissimo — and then swells again toward the “miraculous power,” as if the heavens were opening. This is how clarity of text becomes art. Why Mallwitz made him a condition for this production, he demonstrates impressively.” – Badische Neueste Nachrichten (BNN)

“Piotr Beczała possesses all these qualities sixfold. His magnificent voice — a silver wrapped in velvet — his high notes could well secure him the envy of all tenors. And who takes care that all of this is preserved? In case of doubt, certainly his wife, who is also a singer. He has not only preserved it, but further developed it, in order to mature from a lirico-spinto into a heldentenor. And all of this could be experienced in the Festspielhaus and carried the audience away with enthusiasm. His Grail narration in the third act was a dream and went straight to the heart with its soft legato arcs. So they do still exist: the tenors who allow the voice to mature — and then are simply not to be surpassed.” – goodnews4.de