Richard Wagner, Tannhauser
Peter
Seiffert (Tannhäuser)
Marina Prudenskaya (Venus)
Ann Petersen (Elisabeth),
Peter
Mattei (Wolfram von Eschenbach)
René
Pape (Hermann, Landgraf von Thüringen)
Peter Sonn (Walther von der Vogelweide)
Tobias Schabel (Biterolf)
Jürgen Sacher (Heinrich der Schreiber)
Jan Martiník (Reinmar von Zweter)
Sónia Grané (Ein Hirtenknabe)
Stage direction and choreography by
Sasha Waltz
Staatskapelle Berlin &
Staatsopenchor
Conducted by Daniel Barenboim
Belair Classics BAC422
Recorded live at the Staatsoper in
Berlin in April 2014 this recording of Tannhauser has a lot going for it.
Daniel Barenboim is probably the most authoritative living Wagner conductor and
he is working with a fine orchestra and a cast with no obvious weak links. The
staging is low-key, unobtrusive, and by and large effective. The enthusiastic
applause at the end is well-deserved. This is certainly one of the best
Tannhauser’s available on DVD/Blu-Ray – certainly significantly more satisfying
than Alex Kober’s recording from the 2014 Bayreuth festival, which I reviewed here.
Barenboim basically offers us the
Dresden version of 1845 with a ballet in Act 1, as per the 1861 Paris version
(coyly described in the program notes as “reference to the Bachanals (Act 1
Scene 1) in the Paris version”). As is well-known, the ballet Wagner added fell
somewhat short of the expectations of the Jockey Club, but any Jockey Club
members who wandered into this Berlin performance would feel, I think, that
they had got their money’s worth. The dancing is extensive with significant
amounts of bared flesh on display in the first and third acts. If I have one
reservation about the production it is that there are really too many visual
distractions. Writhing semi-naked dancers are, I suppose, appropriate for the
Venusberg scenes, but I found the dancing pilgrims returning from Rome rather
jarring. This is a relatively minor quibble, however, since the choreography is
well-judged and the enhanced by the visual impact of the understated designs
which, apart from the giant bamboo curtain in the Minstrel’s Hall, primarily
exploit shadows and suggestions of empty space.
The singing in this Tannhauser is
uniformly strong. Peter Seiffert is a very convincing Tannhauser. He has the
power and volume of a heldentenor but, unlike most of the other current
heldentenors, he can act and sing with real expressiveness. He is also capable
of sharing the stage, which is one reason why the principal duets and ensembles
work as well as they do. The other reason is the quality of the other
principals. Probably the most impressive is Peter Mattei’s Wolfram von
Eschenbach. Mattei’s Wolfram is far from the pedantic and whiny troubadour that
we often find. Despite his odd costume (he looks like Sherlock Holmes in
cavalry boots) Wolfram comes across as a character with real depth, providing
dramatic and musical continuity throughout Act III, in counterpoint first with Elisabeth
and then with Tannhauser. Rene Pape (as Hermann, Landgraf von Thüringen) is
probably the most celebrated member of the cast. His singing is immaculate,
although the role is much less demanding than König Mark, which he has sung
with great distinction.
I do think that Venus is more effective
when sung (as it is here) by a mezzo soprano. Marina Prudenskaya sings with
venom in Act I and she is convincing at both ends of the tessitura. Although a
little more body would have been ideal, Prudenskaya is a compelling Venus. Ann
Petersen’s Elisabeth is a worthy rival to Venus’s charms – and clearly not
immune to the pleasures of the flesh. This role, like Wolfram’s, is often interpreted
in an excessively prissy way. Not so here. Petersen borders on the heroic at
various points in Act III.
The Staatskapelle and Staatsopenchor do
fine work for Daniel Barenboim, who has a characteristically strong sense of
drama and architecture. All in all this is a very fine recording. I only have
two complaints. First, the liner notes are
extremely thin with no information on the singers or production. Second, and
particularly galling, the credits are projected on the screen during the
overture. Still, the audiovisual quality is excellent and this recording is
highly recommended.
