Tannhäuser and sexual politics

Any opera fans out there?

Having just seen Wagner's Tannhäuser performed by the SF Opera last week I'd like to share my take on it before it fades from memory. First, a very brief outline of the plot:

Act 1 has Tannhäuser hanging out with Venus beneath a mountain somewhere in Germany in erotic bliss. They've been screwing for months or years apparently so Tannhäuser has lost all sense of time and connection with the real world and begins to get restless. He tells Venus he digs her a lot but pines for some things he's been missing like nature, blue sky, lust for battle. Venus tells him he's full of shit and he never had it so good. Tannhäuser almost gives in again to her charms but finally breaks the spell by invoking the name of the Virgin Mary. Suddenly Venus and the mountain are gone and he's in an open meadow. Some knights wander in and it turns out they're his old friends. He doesn't say where he's been but agrees to go back with them to the Vartburg, their castle.

Act 2 is the biggie. Elizabeth,  Tannhäuser's old squeeze has heard he's back and she's ecstatic. She opens the Singing Hall, a room where song competitions are held and re-unites with Tannhäuser before the big contest. Tannhäuser and his friends will sing about love and Elizabeth will judge who is best.  Tannhäuser's best friend Wolfram is also in love with Elizabeth and he goes first. He sings a boring song about how love is all about respecting the purity and goodness of women. Tannhäuser gets his chance and rips into Wolfram, telling him he and his friends don't know crap about love. If they want to see real love they should go where he's been and see what screwing Venus is like. All hell breaks loose. Tannhäuser has crossed the line. They draw their swords prepared to kill him on the spot for his sacrilege. Elizabeth intervenes and declares that she- as the victim- should determine his fate. She says he must travel to Rome and seek the Pope's absolution. The knights agree and he goes.

Act 3 finds Elizabeth and Wolfram waiting for the pilgrims' return. A bunch of them get back but there is no  Tannhäuser. Elizabeth is so despondent she decides to go join the Virgin in heaven. Wolfram helps her on her way. Tannhäuser then appears and says he got nowhere with the Pope. He's sick of it all and just wants to get back to Venus. Wolfram reminds him of Elizabeth and tells him she's gone to heaven. Tannhäuser gives in to the power of eternal womanly goodness and purity and finds redemption at last.

There are two things I loved about the opera. First, the incredible music. The opening overture is one of the greatest and most stirring pieces of music I've ever heard. When listened to apart from the opera it almost seems too bombastic and over the top, but in the opera house as prelude for the drama that follows it sounds absolutely perfect. Second, the story seems timeless. It's the old madonna/whore complex that men must have been dealing with since the caves.  Tannhäuser's plight seems completely accessible to a modern audience because the issue is always with us. When the saintly knights erupt in indignation at  Tannhäuser's song of Venus, they're revealing their deep insecurities about women. The whole courtly chivalric thing is just an agreed upon facade to keep them from seeing their own sinful natures.  Tannhäuser's blasphemy is to bring it out in the open. They want to kill him because they can no longer trust him. If someone is willing to explore the erotic nature of women openly it will drive them all crazy. Besides, how can they expect him to keep away from their women? Another view is that this is all about the power and independence of women. The men want to own them, but if the Venus aspect is allowed then they will gain power over them and this is simply unacceptable.

All in all, a great opera. Well staged, superbly sung, and the orchestra kicked ass with one of the greatest scores in history. A worthy night's entertainment. Better than kidney stones.

Originally posted at New Worlds.