1967 proved to be a transitional year, following the death of Wieland Wagner who had run Bayreuth Festival conjointly with his brother Wolfgang since 1951. Wolfgang then ran the festival on his own, until 2008.

In his final year on the Green Hill, Rudolf Kempe was completely attuned to the theatre's special acoustics: here is a Lohengrin of supremely subtle sonorities, with several singers making their hugely successful house debuts.

As Elsa, Heather Harper was said to have a "passionately expressive soprano voice bringing great nobility and a young woman's emotions to her vocally inspired reading of the role." Other critics praised her freedom above the stave.

Karl Ridderbusch was singing Henry for the first time at Bayreuth and was much praised for a performance that drew on "unlimited reserves....his warm and cultivated bass and the aristocratic poise of his acting."

Donald McIntyre was hailed as the discovery of the evening: his Telramund was described as "gripping". Here was a "heroic baritone, with an unusually interesting and varied colour which, coupled with the intensity of his acting, placed him in the front rank of Bayreuth's soloists."

By the end of the evening there were ovations all round, especially for James King, a late replacement for Sándor Kónya, who it is generally agreed turned the performance into a second first night.

Cast:
- Karl Ridderbusch (King Henry)
- James King (Lohengrin)
- Heather Harper (Elsa)
- Donald McIntyre (Telramund)
- Grace Hoffman (Ortrud)