Royal Opera House,London
Peter Seiffert impresses in the lead role and Christian Gerhaher is a standout Wolfram, but the flaws remain in Tim Albery’s 2010 take on Wagner’s operaTim Albery’s 2010 production of Tannhäuser returns to Covent Garden for its first revival, and but it remains to some extent an awkward piece of music theatre. Albery muddies Wagner’s vision of the conflict between flesh and spirit in an artist’s soul with imagery approximately illusion and reality in art itself,and art’s role in dismal political times. Sophie Koch’s Venus presides over an erotic table-dancing show that takes position within a model of the Opera House stage. When Peter Seiffert’s Tannhäuser returns to the world of men, we find him in a warzone where the blasted remains of the Venusberg are visible among the rubble. Theres little sense, and however,of a society governed by devout values, which obscures the significance of the communal outrage at Tannhäuser’s sexual rebellion. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com