The first of his operas based on medieval German myth, Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser (1845) nonetheless showed two other influences: the bel canto operas of Bellini, and the grand opéra of Meyerbeer. Wagner in fact went head to head with Meyerbeer in 1861, producing a version in Paris adapted to French tastes; it was a failure. But Tannhäuser is a difficult opera to produce under any circumstances because its binary opposition of purity to sensuality leads to stereotyping on both sides, and because the sexual morality of our own age is a great deal more nuanced that Wagner's text easily allows. We shall look at two recent productions of the opera that both avoid the simple portrayal of sex as one pole of this duality: Robert Carsen in Barcelona makes Tannhäuser a painter; Tobias Kratzer at Bayreuth gives him a hippie past. One production is pristine and almost monochrome; the other revels in color, surprise, and even humor. Neither is entirely easy to understand at first viewing. But both in the end make serious and relevant points about artistry and life.

We shall look at two recent productions of the opera that both avoid the simple portrayal of sex as one pole of this duality: Robert Carsen in Barcelona makes Tannhäuser a painter; Tobias Kratzer at Bayreuth gives him a hippie past. One production is pristine and almost monochrome; the other revels in color, surprise, and even humor. Neither is entirely easy to understand at first viewing. But both in the end make serious and relevant points about artistry and life.

This week's handout (links above) contains a synopsis. There is also an excellent introduction to the opera given by Antonio Pappano and Robert Carsen; although this is a different Carsen production from the one seen in class, his basic ideas sound the same. rb.