In holistic medicine there is a therapy called a “Sound Bath” that heals by immersing the individual in an all-consuming, meditative world of music and song. That is certainly the experience offered by Los Angeles Opera’s production of Richard Wagner’s “Tannhäuser,” which opened Saturday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Just the chance to hear a live 147-piece (brass resounding) orchestra, full men’s and women’s chorus, and a cast of dynamic vocalists, all under the direction of LA Opera’s music director and Wagnerian master, James Conlon, is transformative — especially after all we’ve been through for the last year and a half.
If Louisa Muller’s direction and Gottfried Pilz’s sets and costumes represented the opera’s original 13th-century setting, the stage would be filled with sword-bearing Germanic knights who take time out now and then to compete in signing contests. Instead, what we see are noble knights and ladies in elegant cocktail attire more attuned to the sophistication of Noel Coward or the ball from “My Fair Lady.” For them, love is chaste, “No sex please!”
The problem is, the opera’s hero, Tannhäuser (tenor, Issachah Savage), has, unbeknownst to his countrymen, been residing in the mystical, erotic realm of the Venusberg, arm-in-arm (and very much more) with his seductive paramour Venus (soprano Yulia Matochkina). And since LA Opera is performing Wagner’s 1861 Paris version of the opera, the overture melds directly into a ballet where lithe dancers cavort in Kama Sutra-esque variations. The Venusberg they inhabit, however, has all the appeal of a bare-bones, red-light strip club.
Poor Tannhäuser. It seems he is having second thoughts about all this indulgent pleasure. He tells Venus he longs for a good battle with lots of blood and a hefty dose of Christian piety. For him, he says, the party’s over!
And with that he finds himself back in the land of penitent pilgrims, singing knights (in black tie) and the virginal girl he left behind, Elisabeth (sung by the dynamic American soprano, Sara Jakubiak).
Tannhäuser is greeted by the most up-tight and proper of the knights, Wolfram von Eschenbach (tenor Lucas Meachem). He’s a poster child for the idea that “nice guys finish last,” but he does get to sing the opera’s greatest hit, “The Evening Star.” He greets his long-lost friend and urges him to compete in the annual singing joust — the topic is, “True Love.” At first all goes well until Tannhäuser can’t help voicing a refrain of, “You guys don’t know what love is!”
Finally, he loses it completely, with Elizabeth (who is the prize) looking on, and tells them if they want to really find out what love is, “Call Venus for a good time!”
With that, he is immediately shunned and subject to execution. But Elizabeth begs for his “salvation.” He must become a pilgrim, suffer and beg the Pope to be forgiven for his sins. Of course, Venus warned him, this is the life that lay in store. Nevertheless, “To Rome!” he proclaims and the curtain falls on Act 2.
Pining away in prayer, Elisabeth waits. And it must be said, that throughout the entire performance, Jakubiak, with her powerful voice and in-the-moment dramatic presence, is the only member of the cast that made any of this seem believable, right up to the moment of her demise.
When a haggard Tannhäuser finally returns, he admits his meeting with the Pope did not go as planned; forgiveness, it seems, is not his long suit when it comes to transgressions of an erotic nature with That Woman. For Tannhäuser, however, the option of picking up where he left off with Venus sounds pretty good. But it’s too late. No Venus. No Elizabeth. Time to die.
It’s really time for a revolutionary Feminist, Freudian, Marxist, LBGTQ take on “Tannhäuser.” If LA Opera presents a performance on the radio, don’t miss it. Close your eyes. It may be the best way to see it.
Jim Farber is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer.
Wagner’s ‘Tannhäuser’
- Rating: 3 stars
- Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave, Los Angeles
- When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 2 p.m. Oct. 31; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 and 6
- Running time: 4 hours with two intermissions. Video pre-concert talk on the plaza, a hour before curtain.
- Suitability: Not for younger people; depictions of sexual acts
- Note: Proof of vaccination or negative PCR COVID-19 test required, as is the wearing of masks in the auditorium regardless of vaccination status.
- Tickets and information: 213-972-8001; www.laopera.org
