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The temptation to 'update' Wagner, with post-modern stagings and conceptual direction is almost too great to forgo.
Wagner may have specified the productions he wanted but, after all, audiences have seen all this before. They want to see something new and inventive.
The attraction of this Tannhäuser then is partly the divine production of Otto Schenk, which is both traditional and highly dramatic. The sets are eye-catching without being distracting. The opening scene in the Venusberg is earthy and dimly lit, with an atmosphere both erotic and repulsive. The monumental pillars and brightly coloured chorus of Act Two is similar in tone to the Bolshoi's Boris Godounov, and the lavish surroundings serve to contrast Tannhäuser's inner trauma. My only slight concern would be that the cavernous cave setting of the first act threatens to swallow up the offstage chorus.
Such a production places the emphasis firmly (and correctly) on the singing, which here is mixed. Richard Cassilly as Tannhäuser looks a little too old for the role, but his acting is convincing. More importantly, he copes well vocally. Admittedly, his heldentenor can seem nasal in its upper regions, while interference in his throat occasionally roughens the sound.
In Act Two he seems to encounter more serious problems, coughing his way through the culminating ensemble. Perhaps he had strained his voice previously, having rarely lowered his dynamic below a forte. In the third Act, Cassilly's deformed, tragic presence dominates the stage and his suffering is conveyed with skill.
The late mezzo Tatiana Troyanos as Venus is only onstage for an act and a bit, but her part is demanding. Pitch-wise, she is secure, and her upper notes have a ring to them. She struggles, however, to project her chest voice, and more worryingly, her diction is often difficult to understand. Vowel sounds need to be clarified, and consonants emphasised.
Eva Marton is powerful, but a noticeably wide vibrato does her characterisation of gentle Elisabeth no favours. Her biting soprano has the ability to cut through any orchestral texture with vigour, which creates quite a stir at times. Whether such a sharp voice is good for the role or not is questionable. Bernd Weikl's Wolfram is fine, if a tad doleful.
James Levine conducts his Met Orchestra with typical panache. The Prelude is taken at a fair pace, but it seems to work, and the primitive rendition of the ballet sequence emphasises the often-grotesque nature of the choreography. Levine's interpretation is one of extremes. Lyricism is constantly juxtaposed with dramatic intensity. Notable is the Act One duet between Tannhäuser and Venus, which surges blindly towards its climax. The following (very well played) cor anglais solo is a moment of repose after such a driven passage.
Problematically, when Levine slows down, stasis is occasionally reached. Act Two grinds to a halt on a few occasions, though this is partly the fault of John Macurdy, who plays Landgraf with little enthusiasm. The band generally plays accurately, though at the end of the Prelude, the low strings and timpani come in a beat early, creating some confusion in the pit.
The DVD itself is typical of the Live from the Met releases. The picture quality is murky throughout, while too often erroneous noises interfere with the music. At one point in Act Three, a couple of the stagehands have a conversation too near the microphone, while audience coughing continually irritates. Then again, this is a solid performance of the opera, boasting an absolutely stunning production and good soloists, which more than make up for the DVD's shortcomings.
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