Tannhauser.(Opera Review)

BROADCAST OF DECEMBER 18, 2004, 1:00 P.M.

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA INTERNATIONAL RADIO NETWORK

THE 2004-05 METROPOLITAN OPERA BROADCAST SEASON IS MADE POSSIBLE BY GENEROUS GRANTS FROM THE ANNENBERG FOUNDATION AND THE VINCENT A. STABILE FOUNDATION

 
TANNHAUSER 
 
THE CAST (in order of vocal appearance) 
 
Venus                 mezzo, MICHELLE DEYOUNG 
Tannhauser              tenor, PETER SEIFFERT 
Shepherd                         soprano, TBA 
Landgrave Hermann             bass, KURT MOLL 
Wolfram              baritone, THOMAS HAMPSON 
Walther             tenor, JOHN HORTON MURRAY 
Biterolf             baritone, CHARLES TAYLOR 
Heintich            ten., ROY CORNELIUS SMITH 
Reinmar                 bass, MORRIS ROBINSON 
Hisabeth               soprano, DEBORAH VOIGT 
Pages                                     TBA 
                           SARAH WEBER GALLO, 
Three Graces                 RACHEL SCHUETTE, 
                                         TBA 
 
Conducted by MARK ELDER 
 
Production: Otto Schenk 
Set designer: Gunther Schneider-Siemssen 
Costume designer: Patricia Zipprodt 
Lighting designer: Gil Wechsler 
Stage director: Stephen Pickover 
Chorus master: Raymond Hughes 
Choreographer: Norbert Vesak 
Musical preparation: Jane Klaviter, 
  John Keenan, Kevin Murphy, 
  Robert Morrison 
Assistant stage director: Zoe Pappas 
Stage band conductor: Gregory Buchalter 
Prompter: Jane Klaviter 
Children's chorus director: Elena Doria 
German diction coach: Irene Spiegelman 
Production a gift of the Fan Fox and 
  Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., 
  and the Metropolitan Opera Guild 
 
THE SCENES                        Timings (ET) 
  (Germany, 13th c.) 
 
ACT I                                1:00-2:08 
 
  Sc. 1   Venus's grotto 
  Sc. 2   Wartburg valley 
 
ACT II    Wartburg hall of song      2:38-3:42 
 
ACT III   Wartburg valley            4:08-5:03 
 
Announcer: Margaret Juntwait 
Audio director: Jay David Saks 
 
INTERMISSION FEATURES 
 
Producer: Michael Bronson              Timings 
"OPERA NEWS on the Air"              2:08-2:38 
"Meeting Venus," by Coil Ellison 
"A Letter from Abroad," 
  by Norman Lebrecht 
Metropolitan Opera Quiz *            3:42-4:08 
Steven Biter questions Cori Ellison, 
  Terrence McNally, Alan Wagner 

* Send quiz questions to Metropolitan Opera Quiz, Box 805, F.D.R. Station, New York, NY 10150, or log on to www.operainfo.org.

THE STORY

ACT I. In the Venusberg, magical mountain abode of Venus, the minstrel Tannhauser kneels beside the goddess, who for more than a year has bestowed her love on him, as fauns and bacchants frolic and the call of sirens echoes from grottos below ("Naht euch dem Strande!"). Tannhauser, weary of the revels, half-heartedly sings a hymn of praise to Venus ("Dir tone Lob!") but ends by asking for his freedom. Surprised, she promises him even greater delights if he will stay ("Geliebter, kimm'!"), but he only longs all the more for the simple pleasures and pains of the earthly life. Enraged, Venus curses his hope of salvation ("Zieh hin, Wahnsinniger!"). When he cries out that his hope rests with the Virgin Mary, the Venusberg disappears.