Tannhäuser, WWV 70

Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf Wartburg is the fifth opera in the repertoire of Wagner, who was both the author and composer. The work premiered in Dresden in 1845, but perfectionism consistently haunted the German composer, who reworked it many times. As a result, we possess four authorial versions today, and even a month before his death, Cosima Wagner wrote in her diary that her husband said “that he still [owes] the world Tannhäuser.” Drawing inspiration from different sources and germanic legends, including the Sängerkrieg (“the minstrel contest”) and the Tannhäuser Ballad, the libretto of Tannhäuser tells the story of a Minnesänger (a kind of German lyric poet) who, after discovering the Venusberg (the “mount of Venus”), spent a year worshiping the Goddess of Beauty. His paganism is redeemed by the sacrifice of the young Elisabeth, who offers her own life for the salvation of Tannhäuser. In fact, the Pope states that he could no more grant forgiveness to the sinner than the pastoral staff bear green leaves again. The Minnesänger then prays to Saint Elisabeth, who works a miracle and the staff blossoms afresh: Tannhäuser is finally saved!