Tannhäuser is an individualist, an outsider, a Utopian, a trouble-maker. He protests with his passion and tries to break out of a stiff, conventional world devoid of sensuality, to open up more space for himself. Incapable to living in society, in this case in the society frequenting the Wartburg, he flees into the intoxicatingly sensual world of the Venusberg. But there also is no self-realization. Tannhäuser is inevitably doomed to failure. He dies in the no-man’s-land between the two worlds.

The score of “Tannhäuser” was to accompany Richard Wagner (1813-1883) all his life. He continually thought up major revisions to the work, which he had conducted and directed personally at the Dresden world première in 1845 – and still shortly before his death his wife Cosima noted in her diary, “He says that he still owes posterity (a definitive version of) ‘Tannhäuser’”. This may have something to do with their not really being a definitive answer to the basic question inherent not only in “Tannhäuser”, but in the last resort in Wagner’s entire œvre. In his title-figure, still on the border between romantic opera and music-drama, Wagner depicted, also musically, an arresting example of a fundamentally helpless anarchist searching for happiness. His radical struggle to win himself freedom, so to speak in himself but also from himself, makes this protagonist, who has so much in common with his author, into one of the figures of the awakening modernism in the 19th century.

After the scandal, Burkhard C. Kosminski’s staging caused in the premiere on 4 May, we have decided to perform “Tannhäuser” from 9 May in concert. All tickets retain their validity. If a visit is not required, an exchange of tickets is possible in advance of the booked performance. Please read also the notice on our welcome page.

 
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Romantic opera in three acts
Text by the composer

 
In German with German surtitles
 

Musikalische Leitung Axel Kober
Inszenierung Burkhard C. Kosminski
Bühne Florian Etti
Kostüm Ute Lindenberg
Licht Volker Weinhart
Choreografie Jean Laurent Sasportes, Pascal Merighi / Pascal Merighi / Jean Laurent Sasportes
Chorleitung Gerhard Michalski
Dramaturgie Anne do Paço
 
Landgraf Thorsten Grümbel
Tannhäuser Daniel Frank
Wolfram von Eschenbach Markus Eiche
Walther von der Vogelweide Corby Welch
Biterolf Thomas Jesatko
Heinrich der Schreiber Johannes Preißinger
Reinmar von Zweter Timo Riihonen
Elisabeth Elisabet Strid
Venus Elena Zhidkova
Ein junger Hirt Svenja Lehmann
Erster Edelknabe Sandra Michaela Diehl
Zweiter Edelknabe Helena Günther
Dritter Edelknabe Angela Froemer
Vierter Edelknabe Franziska Walter
Chor Chor der Deutschen Oper am Rhein
Extrachor Extrachor
Orchester Düsseldorfer Symphoniker