Tannhäuser Richard Wagner: Chor der Bayreuther Festspiele

There are many videos of Bayreuth performances, but this was the first. For that reason alone, it's worth watching; fortunately it isn't the only reason.

Unlike later recordings, this one includes curtain calls. I think this was an excellent decision, since it evokes the thrill of being part of a Bayreuth audience. Only in Bayreuth will an audience remain absolutely silent until the last note has faded, and then erupt in a paroxism of emotion - good or bad. Listen carefully, and you'll hear the point where the audience begin to stamp their feet, causing the wooden structure of the Festspielhaus to resonate with a sound like thunder. They obviously liked this performance.

And why not, indeed; it's excellent.

Gwyneth Johns performs both Venus and Elizabeth, as Birgit Nilsson did, back in the sixties. There were some difficulties - her lower register wasn't quite up to the essentially mezzo part of Venus, and her diminutive stature meant that she had to stand on a box throughout act I (somewhat limiting her range of movement). That's her on the cover of the DVD - you can see the corner of the box if you look closely. However, her acting ability, stage presence and total commitment to her roles more than compensated for these minor, er, shortcomings.

Spas Wenkoff's Tannhauser was full of manic glee (although this might have been a combination of close-ups and operatic acting). Wonderful strong voice, with none of the whiny edge that I've heard in other Tannhausers.

The unbelievably young Bernd Weikl was a splendid Wolfram - a role which he was to play many times. You might like to contrast his performance here with the one in the 1994 Munich performance, with Waltraud Myer as Venus.

The orchestra, chorus and other performers all lived up the normal Bayreuth standards of perfection. Colin Davis maintained a lively and expressive tempo.

This is the full Paris version, complete with a somewhat prim Bacchanale, filmed in 1978, when this originally controversial production had been accepted by the Bayreuth audience.

Technical issues? A few. After all, the film was made thirty years ago. The sound is almost perfect, but there are a couple of occasions where background noise intrudes. Thankfully they're brief. The image quality is somewhat variable, particularly in the darker passages. Again, this isn't obtrusive - I'm just being picky.

Strongly recommended.

I have one other version of Tannhauser, it is modernistic, the venusburg is inhabited by overgrown writhing caterpillers, and the strange rigid uniforms of practically all the characters detracted from the music. I had a job to work out who was who. Seeing this on my perusings, and being an ardent admirer of Gwyneth Jones. ( she does a wonderful Brunhilde ) I thought why not?
From the ballet in the beginning, beautifully choreographed, I was entranced. I have always thought that Tannhauser contains the best of Wagners themes and orchestrations, the interpretations are fantastic. Wenkoff has a most expressive voice, and a delightfully haunted look, although if Venus sang to me like she does in this production, I would have stayed in the Venusburg.
Weikl as Wolfram is an excellent tenor, he has a purity of tone which I found very pleasing. This is not to detract from the other main characters, all of whom are more than adequate.
The chorus are crisp and clear, light and shade are just right, as is the orchestra.
Costumes are in keeping, the militaristic dress of the Knights reveals the anomolies of their philosophy.
The booklet is informative with headings and timings, background information, amd act by act synopsis.
I would hesitate to try another version for fear of disappointment.

I first saw Gwyneth Jones in Boulez/Chéreau's Ring, and used to hate her for spoiling it. Now I just hate this Ring's Brünnhild - not Gwyneth Jones: I really enjoyed her performance as Elizabeth and Venus in this Tannhäuser. So, I would advise you not to keep away from this incredible Tannhäuser just because of her (if like me you happen to have disliked very much her Brünnhild)!