THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Met’s traditional staging of Wagner’s TÄNNHAUSER returns in a musically sublime revival

Christian Gerhaher, Georg Zeppenfeld, and Andreas Schager in Richard Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” at The Metropolitan Opera (photo by Evan Zimmerman).

Earlier this week, I caught up with the Metropolitan Opera’s current revival of Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser. Written in 1845, the opera is a transitional work that appealingly straddles traditional grand opera and the mature music dramas for which the German composer is best known for (e.g., The Ring Cycle, Tristan und Isolde). In short, Tannhäuser chronicles one knight’s journey from earthbound lust, to a pursuit of an elevated love, and finally to redemption through that love (after some dramatic conflict, of course).

In terms of the music-making, it was an astonishing evening both in the pit and onstage. The great Donald Runnicles conducted an extraordinarily balanced and lucid account of Wagner’s sweepingly romantic score, setting the stage for some glorious singing. In the title role, Austrian tenor Andreas Schager is one of those rare heldentenor (a dying breed, for sure) with the ability to bring both heroic volume and lilting beauty to the vocally challenging role. As his contrasting love interests, mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova was in seductively rich voice as Venus, while soprano Elza van den Heever brought both fully body and warmth to her portrayal of the virtuous Elisabeth. Rounding out the cast were baritone Christian Gerhaher (brandishing his stylish instrument in his Met debut) as Wolfram and bass Georg Zeppenfeld as Hermann. Even from a dramatic standpoint, the acting throughout the long evening seemed fresh and alive, which seems odd for this typically stolid opera.

Last mounted by the company in 2015 (featuring the late great Justin Botha in the  title role), Otto Schenk’s firmly old fashioned staging is one of the last standing of the Met’s vintage productions. Although it’s starting to wear around the edges, Schenk’s picturesque storybook vision of the opera still holds up – and it’s a refreshing contrast to many of the Met’s recent crop of more theatrically adventurous productions. Indeed, If you’re looking for a taste of the Met of old, look no further than this musically sublime revival. It may be the last time you’ll be able to catch it.

RECOMMENDED

TÄNNHAUSER
Opera
The Metropolitan Opera
4 hours, 30 minutes (with two intermissions)
Through December 23

Categories: Music, Opera, Other Music

Leave a Reply