Tannhäuser in the Dark
GIUSEPPE PENNISI visits Venice,
one of Richard Wagner's favourite cities
one of Richard Wagner's favourite cities
Venice is one of the cities that Richard Wagner most loved.
He composed quite a bit of his music
there in his later years, and he died there. Venice is also the Italian city where the whole Der Ring des Nibelungen cycle was performed for the first time abroad in 1883 by a German touring company. Yet, fully staged performances of Tannhäuser reached the Teatro La Fenice only in 1886 and since then the 'Romantic Grand Opera' (as Wagner called it) had only four additional stagings. The last was performed, some
twenty years ago, by a German company under a tent in La Fenice's temporary
quarters on a nearby island (the Tronchetto) while the opera house was being rebuilt after a fire had devastated it in January 1996.
Thus, this production was much awaited. It is a joint effort with the opera houses of Antwerp, Bern and Genoa. The director is the controversial Calixto Bieito, helped by his customary team (Rebecca
Ringst for the sets, Ingo Krügler for costumes and Michael Bauer for lighting). The conductor is the young but well-appreciated Omer Meir Wellber. There was a first class singing cast, but the tenor in the title role (originally Stefan Vinke) had to be replaced because of
bad flu. I saw and heard the second performance of the series on 24 January 2017: the title role was sung rather well by Paul McNamara, who had just flown in from Berlin with about one hour to rehearse the part.
This is a rather strange Tannhäuser: the first act follows the 1861 Paris version, and the second and the third the 1845 Dresden version. During that long span of time, Wagner's style had evolved from romantic grand opera to music drama. There are mixed versions such as 'Munich 1994', heard at La Scala in 2010. Nonetheless, it is advisable to make a clear choice: either Dresden or Paris, unless one wants to make a comparison of the
evolution of the style, but in that event musicologists would need a full performance of both versions.
 A scene from Wagner's 'Tannhäuser' at Teatro La Fenice. © 2017 Michele Crosera. Click on the image for higher resolution |
Calixto Bieito's staging was disappointing. From Bieito, the audience would expect a colorful and transgressing production, especially in the
first act bacchanal, that he could have translated in an orgy. But there was
none of that: the opera is in modern attire, the bacchanal is concealed by a thick forest, and lighting keeps
the staging obscure.
 A scene from Wagner's 'Tannhäuser' at Teatro La Fenice. © 2017 Michele Crosera. Click on the image for higher resolution |
Darkness is the main feature of this Tannhäuser. There is little light on the stage also in the other two acts; both in the Landgrave Palace and the fields around it.
 A scene from Wagner's 'Tannhäuser' at Teatro La Fenice. © 2017 Michele Crosera. Click on the image for higher resolution |
In spite of the mix of the two versions discussed above, the musical
aspects were very good. Omer Meir Wellber and the orchestra found the right balance between the diatonic part (Dresden) and the chromatic part (Paris) and were able to keep a good balance between stage and pit.
 A scene from Wagner's 'Tannhäuser' at Teatro La Fenice. © 2017 Michele Crosera. Click on the image for higher resolution |
As with any 'Romantic Grand Opera', Tannhäuser requires a lot of soloists, a double chorus, a children chorus and (in the Paris version) a ballet. Paul McNamara deserved full marks. Ausrine Stundyte was a more passionate than sensual Venus. Liene Kinča was a religious but sensual Elisabeth. Christoph Pohl was excellent as Wolfram. All the
others were quite good, and the Kolbe Children's Choir deserves a special mention.
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