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Royal Danish Opera's New Tannhäuser: Kasper Bech Holten's return to Wagner in Copenhagen (BK)

Premiere: Sunday 20 December 2009 at 15:00
Other Performances: 20|22|29| December 2009 |03|10|14|20|24| January and |01 February 2010

Following the staging of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (See Music Web International Reviews) which garnered great critical acclaim worldwide and a Gramophone Award as DVD of the Year, Royal Danish Opera's Artistic Director Kasper Holten is now set to direct yet another Wagner opera at the Copenhagen opera house.

Wagner’s Tannhäuser is the story of the demise of a man over his struggle between art and love. Kasper Holten sets the story in the day and age of Wagner and narrows in on an artist seeking to achieve equilibrium between reality and art.

“Wagner’s own dilemma between his devotion to art and his dream of living a regular life is a schism that permeates this work. Wagner knew like the artist Tannhäuser what it is like to be disenfranchised, to strive for the acceptance of society, to seek a happy and harmonious life, to seek love, riches and fame. But he also knew from his own experience what it is like to trip yourself up again and again due to impossible behaviour, megalomania and sheer genius. So our Tannhäuser has very much taken form with a view to Wagner himself,” states director Kasper Holten.

Kasper Holten will  work for the first time with set designer Mia Stensgaard, who has created stage designs for a wide range of performances at the Royal Danish Theatre. Drawing inspiration from visual artist M.C. Escher, Mia Stensgaard emphasises Tannhäuser’s inner division and chaos and does so with a set design that challenges our perceptions of what the ins and outs of things are – a design that slowly disintegrates.

The Royal Danish Opera Ensemble features some of the world’s leading Wagner singers, which is why Tannhäuser will be performed almost entirely by in-house talent. The title role will be performed alternately by Stig Andersen and Johnny van Hal. Elisabeth will be performed by Tina Kiberg on all performance days since Iréne Theorin is currently absent on sick leave. Two guests will appear in the role as Wolfram – the Norwegian Tom Erik Lie and Finland's Tommi Hakala, who won the  BBC  Carfiff  Singer of the World competition in 2003. Another guest soloist will appear in the role as Venus, namely Romanian mezzo-soprano Hermine May, who will alternate with Susanne Resmark. Landgrave Herrmann will be performed by Stephen Milling.

Tannhäuser will be conducted by Friedemann Layer, who is currently conducting Ariadne auf Naxos at the Royal Danish Opera with great success, and who in 2007 commanded the podium at the performance of Lohengrin.

Tannhäuser is scheduled for recording and will be released on DVD on the Decca label, as was Der Ring des Nibelungen. The Bikuben Foundation is the exclusive performance sponsor of Tannhäuser.  Read more about Tannhäuser Here.

Bill Kenny

The premiere of this production will be reviewed in Seen and Heard International.