Tannhauser is a fine opera in many respects, if not my personal favourite of Wagner's operas(between Tristan Und Isolde and Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg). When done right the conflicts between the characters are compelling and the music is genius. This was an example of a performance that had good and bad things. By all means it is far better than the Robert Gambill, Rene Kollo and earlier Peter Seiffert performances, but the 1978 Bayreuth and 1982 Met productions are also superior to this.
My main problems were the production values and particularly the staging. I don't mind concept productions actually as long as they aren't distasteful or cheap. There are operas though that are not so friendly to transposition and Tannhauser in my opinion is one of them. The costumes are rather stark and barren, this approach may work in some parts of Tannhuaser but I don't think it should be an approach that occurs throughout. This way it just made the production unappealing and uninteresting to watch. The lighting is not terrible strictly speaking, but at the same time it does little to bring some kind of visual life. The video directing is good though, certainly beats that for the Zurich production, easy feat actually seeing as anything is better than the video directing for that production. I found Robert Carsen's stage direction inconsistent. There are certainly some imaginative moments, the highlight being the contest in Act 2. But there are also one too many frustrating ones, the Baccanale is both bland and weird and the last act completely falls apart with much like with Elizabeth and Wolfram that is at odds with the libretto. The biggest offender was the complete lack of conflict, that of Elizabeth and Venus, the personifications of virtue and sin- the whole point of the opera- was practically non-existent, without this the production just felt really dull dramatically.
It does fare much better musically. The orchestral playing has the lushness and power needed for Wagner's score, the brass don't sound fatigued and they do have a large role to play in Tannhauser and in all of Wagner's operas, the woodwind are delicate yet incisive and the strings play stylishly with not a hint of shrillness. The chorus are terrific as well, creating a thrilling wall of sound in every scene they appear in. Sebastien Weigle's conducting(offering more enthusiasm than he did for the terrible Bayreuth production of Meistersinger) is a little too routine to begin with, the overture- in one of few times where it's been the case- fails to rouse, but the second act is so much better and from then on it's highly dependable with nice textures and good musicianship. The sound has a tendency to favour the singers over the orchestra, which can hinder the climaxes somewhat, but generally it is not bad at all. The performances are generally good. The most impressive was the Tannhauser of Peter Seiffert, while there is a wobble evident in this stage in his career he takes on this punishing role with largely un-strained ringing tone and the well-supported breath control and legato indicates a highly musical and intelligent singer. He is a very commanding actor as well, he has many moments of passion and he does this with power and aching sincerity.
Petra Maria Schnitzer takes on Elizabeth, and on the most part she is touching and radiant(though Carsen's direction doesn't allow her to do as much as she could've done in her Prayer scene). She does have a lovely voice too, though there are some occasions where it loses its quality high up. Markus Eiche's Wolfram is one of those baritones/bass-baritones who has a lovely and interesting voice, with some nobility but there are not many times where I am left unmoved by Ode to the Evening Star and sadly that was the case with Eiche. Beatrice Uria-Monzon is a sexy and thrilling Venus with a beautiful appearance, which always does help. Not all her high notes are quite there, but on the most part vocally it is very creamy-toned indeed while having the right sort of heft for the role. Gunter Groissbock's Landgraf is generally well-projected vocally and there is a fine quality to his voice. He has no trouble commanding the stage either. Lauri Vasar is very good as Biterolf, the characterisation from a performance and director point of view was another of the highlights actually. Vicente Ombuena's Walther is reliable, and Francisco Vas is more understated than his Mime but is also commendable.
Overall, many good things, such as Seiffert, the direction of Act 2 and the quality of the orchestral and choral work, but not consistent especially seen in the stage direction, the conducting and a few tessitura problems here and there. The production values actually were the only asset that didn't do anything for me. Carsen has never been a consistent director, he has been responsible for some great stuff and some stuff that does nothing for me, and he is an acquired taste. Tannhauser is neither the best or worst of his work but there is evidence of his strengths and weaknesses. 6/10 Bethany Cox
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