Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser
- Product Code: 109153
Soloists:
Waltraud Meier, Jan-Hendrik Rootering, René Kollo
Orchestra, choir:
Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Chor und Ballett der Bayerischen Staatsoper
Conductor:
Zubin Mehta
Director:
David Alden
The opera's double title, 'Tannhäuser oder der Sängerkrieg auf der Wartburg', which premiered on October 19, 1845, under Wagner's baton at the Dresden Hoftheater, already hints at how Wagner's work combines material from two separate sources. The Minnesinger character is a historical fact, and his story was documented as early as 1520 in the work Tannhäuserlied. Musically, the contrast between diatonicism and chromaticism symbolizes two different worlds. Wagner revised the original work from 1845 in 1847, changing the finale, among other things, and re-orchestrated the opera for a Paris production in 1861 (this is the "Paris version" with additions). David Alden's new production at the Bavarian State Opera at the Munich National Theater, which premiered at the opera festival on July 6, 1994, was praised by audiences and music magazines as a milestone in contemporary Wagner interpretation. Zubin Mehta conducted this focused but enchanting musical interpretation.
