And then there's Tannhauser.
The fundamental elements that drive the plot are so at odds with the modern world ... so incredible (in its literal use), the opera is very hard to take seriously. You'd be hard pressed not to cheer on the bad guys and think the hero is a misguided idiot unworthy of any empathy. In a modern context, the intellectual explorations here barely deserve 15 minutes, much less a Wagnerian four hours. Which makes it all the more extraordinary that Longborough Festival Opera has produced a version that held my interest throughout and provoked many moments of delight. I overheard several true Wagner aficionados saying it was the best production of this work they'd seen. Once again, this little opera company in Gloucestershire has proven its Wagner creds.
Let's get the problematic plot out of the way. Our hero is a musician who, sometime before the start of our story, has left his employer. Wandering the wider world, the goddess of love finds him so beguiling she invites the mortal into her underground kingdom, the Venusberg, where she becomes his lover and indulges him in all manner of pleasures. He's not a captive, and Venus is a strong, sexy, interesting woman. But Tannhauser starts drowning in guilt. He wants to be human again, subject to morals, rules and death. So he chucks everything in to go home. For a short time, things go swimmingly; he's even on track to win the hand of the princess. Until he lets slip that he's been in the Venusberg. At which point his fundamentalist society turns on him and ostracises him without forgiveness. Such is his crime that even after a long, painful pilgrimage to Rome, the Pope won't absolve him. (So much for forgiveness as the basis of Christianity.) The princess dies of grief over her unrequited love. Venus is willing to take Tannhauser back but he choses death alongside the human girl.
Most operas end with everyone miserable and a high body count, but this one is unique in the pointlessness of it all. The arc to Tosca's suicide is poignant and believable; Tannhauser is just a tedious fool.
Enjoying this opera, then, requires ignoring the plot. You concentrate on the music and a few set pieces within the wider story. And this is where Longborough works its magic.
Tannhauser's overture is one of the most monumentally sweeping pieces of music Wagner wrote. It's unusually long, and these days directors use the time to do some scene setting. At Longborough we saw the lead who would go on to play Tannhauser as Wagner himself, seeking creative inspiration amongst the troubles of his home life. I enjoyed the idea of the opera that followed as an autobiographical exploration of the emotional demons driving the composer, though I doubt I would have enjoyed much time in his angst-ridden, morally conflicted company. I was happy to just close my eyes and listen. Wagner is written into the DNA of the Longborough Festival Opera, and hearing this overture live in such close surrounds is an almost religious experience. To hell with Tannhauser. As the strings swell, I'm back atop the Zugspitze, then taking wing over the majestic peaks of the Bavarian mountains.
This overture establishes the leitmotifs that flow through the opera. They appear in delightful arias throughout, with many of the most pleasing tunes coalescing in a song contest in the middle of the story. The LFO's leads were strong as ever, but the real star this year was the chorus. Whether bubbling in excitement before the song contest, massing in condemnation of Tannhauser's sin or processing through the theatre in penitential procession to Rome (a particularly successful piece of staging), their voices combined to deliver powerful emotion.
While I persist in my desire to see Wagner staged in full 19th-century gothic grandeur, I understand that's not the modern way ... nor could the LFO's tiny stage and moderate budget handle it. Instead, they made bold statements with sparse, elegant stage design and clever costumes. The set for the great hall worked best, an angular, Aztec-like temple dressed with blazes of colour from banners and clothing as the chorus filled the stage. Men wore colourful long gowns with women donning earth-coloured clothing and hijabs ... presumably a sartorial shorthand driving home the fact that this is a repressed, fundamentalist theocracy. The flawed plot could have been more credible if they'd taken that idea further, with Venusberg as the West and Tannhauser pulled between the two societies, but that's no doubt too politically incendiary to mess with.
The Venusberg was less successful, as our love goddess worked a swing on an otherwise bare stage. We were, no doubt, supposed to fill in the blanks by conjuring the lush sexuality of Fragonard's famous painting, but it was a demanding leap for the audience. I did, however, appreciate the metaphorical parallel at the end, when the swing of sin was replaced by a giant, swaying incense burner. Religion triumphs over pleasure.
Tannhauser's not an opera I have any desire to see again, but I'm glad I've had the experience. I'm relieved I saw it at Longborough, always a safe pair of hands when it comes to interpreting this challenging composer. If you're unsure of Wagner but want to give him a try, this is the place to do it.
And there will be no better time than next season. Longborough has announced a revival of last year's Tristan and Isolde, my favourite of all the Wagner productions we've seen there. Because so many members have already seen it, it's possible this will open up space for more of the general public to get in. Check their web site later in the year for details of dates and ticket availability.
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