Lohengrin by Richard Wagner Oct. 1, 1996 San Francisco Opera (at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium) Grand staging, a brisk and driven pace and splendid singing combined to make this Lohengrin a satisfying experience with a few especially rewarding discoveries. We were looking forward greatly to Ben Heppner, whom we had heard in the role in Seattle and here as Walther in Meistersinger, and he was a strong and dramatic presence, building as the opera progressed. Far more impressive, however, was Karita Mattila's Elsa. She sang with startling clarity and sweetness, an almost bel canto Wagner. It sounded to me as if her voice separated itself from her body and then lifted away into the air of its own accord. Her duet with Ortrud in Act I Scene II was especially moving; likewise, she was haunted, passionate and touching in her appearance with Logengrin in the final scene. She is beautiful and has fine stage presence; learning that this was her first Elsa and only the second night of the performance made it even more impressive. Elizabeth Connell sang Ortrud with a full sound and round, open tone. Jan-Hendrik Rootering (Heinrich der Vogler) was a commanding presence but had no bottom to his sound. I liked the dramatic staging Laurie Feldman used to try and accommodate the huge hall. (We had upgraded our seats and had unrivaled location, center aisle six rows back.) Horns sounded offstage, trumpets marched around to herald the king, ensembles entered through the audience. Donald Runnicles conducted confidently at a commanding pace; by my watch we were just over 4 hours, 10 minutes. More importantly, he maintained a clear dramatic vision of the opera throughout, projecting himself despite the impediments of space and position imposed by the civic auditorium.