MET Opera ‘Tannhauser’ to play in PAC
The emotional opera draws its content from real people
On Saturday, Nov. 14, there will be a showing of the MET Opera, “Tannhauser,” which draws its emotional impact from its basis on the lives of real historical people.
This Saturday, Nov. 14, the Mercyhurst Institute for Arts & Culture will be giving a special presentation of the Metropolitan Opera’s “Tannhäuser.”
Sung completely in German, “Tannhäuser” made its world premiere on the Dresden Court Opera in 1845.
A revised version later appeared on the Paris Opera stage in 1861.
The title character was a real 13th-century Minnesinger who inspired a legend that the composer Wilhelm Richard Wagner used as the basis for the opera.
He added the character of Elisabeth, based on the historical Saint Elisabeth of Hungary, wife of the Landgrave of Thuringia.
The opera’s score went through several revisions after the original performances, most importantly when Wagner added the Venusberg ballet for the 1861 French premiere.
“Tannhäuser” takes place in and around Wartburg Castle, Thuringia in central Germany and in the mythical grotto of Venus, the goddess of love.
Wartburg was the setting of a possibly legendary 13th-century song contest, as well as the home of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary, wife of the Landgrave of Thuringia.
It would later become associated with Martin Luther, who translated the New Testament from Greek into German there.
The pagan–Christian dichotomy expressed in the twofold setting is central to the opera’s dramatic core.
James Levine conducts Wagner’s early masterpiece in its first return to the Met stage in more than a decade.
Today’s leading Wagnerian tenor, Johan Botha, takes on the daunting title role of the young knight caught between true love and passion.
Eva-Maria Westbroek is Elisabeth, adding another Wagner heroine to her Met repertoire after her acclaimed “Sieglinde in the Ring” a few seasons ago.
On the heels of his recent triumph in “Parsifal,” Peter Mattei sings Wolfram and Michelle DeYoung is the love goddess, Venus.
This emotional opera will be shown on in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 12:55 p.m., with a total run time of 4 hours and 20 minutes.
Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, military and students, $10 for children and $7.50 for students with their Mercyhurst ID.
