What is the story behind Tannhäuser?

It is based on two German legends: Tannhäuser, the mythologized medieval German Minnesänger and poet, and the tale of the Wartburg Song Contest. The story centres on the struggle between sacred and profane love, as well as redemption through love, a theme running through most of Wagner’s work.

Who composed Tannhäuser?

Richard WagnerTannhäuser / ComposerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas. Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. Wikipedia

How long is Tannhäuser opera?

4 hours
Running time: 4 hours with two intermissions. Video pre-concert talk on the plaza, a hour before curtain.

What does Thomas Tannhäuser sing about?

Tannhäuser sings of his penitence and suffering, all the time thinking of Elisabeth’s gesture and pain, “Inbrunst im Herzen, wie kein Büsser noch” (With a flame in my heart, such as no penitent has known). He explains how he reached Rome, and the “Heiligtumes Schwelle” (Holy shrine), and witnessed thousands of pilgrims being absolved.

What happened to Tannhäuser after the first night of the opera?

After the first night, the opera’s run continued in the form of unstaged concert performances only. Many scholars and writers on opera have advanced theories to explain the motives and behaviour of the characters, including Jungian psychoanalysis, in particular as regards Tannhäuser’s apparently self-destructive behaviour.

What are the changes to Wagner’s Tannhäuser?

A few further changes to Tannhäuser were made for an 1875 performance of the opera in Vienna, the last production carried out under Wagner’s own supervision. These included the opera being sung in German (rather than in French, as had been done in Paris) and linking the end of the overture to the start of the opera proper.

Are there any books on Tannhäuser?

Owing the world a Tannhäuser. p. 22., accessed 3 November 2015 Osborne, Richard (2006). “Tannhäuser”. In Sadie, Stanley; Macy, Laura (eds.). The Grove Book of Operas (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 593–596. ISBN 9780195309072. Richard Wagner – Tannhäuser. A gallery of historic postcards with motives from Richard Wagner’s operas.