Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser
Calixto Bieito (stage director), Omer Meir Wellber (conductor) — With Paul McNamara (Tannhäuser), Christoph Pohl (Wolfram von Eschenbach), Cameron Becker (Walter von der Vogelweide)
Cast
Calixto Bieito — Scenography
Rebecca Ringst — Set designer
Ingo Krügler — Costume designer
Michael Bauer — Lighting
Pavlo Balakin — Hermann, Landgrave de Thuringe
Paul McNamara — Tannhäuser
Christoph Pohl — Wolfram von Eschenbach
Program notes
Rediscover this inimitable fixture of the operatic repertoire in the mythical Teatro La Fenice, Venice, in a brilliant staging by Calixto Bieito, with the energetic Paul McNamara in the title role. Inspired by the historical figure of Tannhäuser, a minnesänger (minstrel) of the 13th century, as well as the medieval legend surrounding the singing competition held in Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Germany, Wagner's masterwork explores the opposition between spiritual and carnal love, respectively embodied by the personalities of Elisabeth and Venus. First deemed scandalous through the themes that it displays, the work, which was misunderstood in the days of its premiere, is now considered a turning point in the history of the genre...
