<<<  <<  -- 2 --  Maria Nockin    ALWAYS A THRILL  --  >>  >>>

In 1859, the Tannhäuser libretto was translated into French. Subsequently, the composer wrote some new music as well, so a different version was heard at the opera's Paris première on 13 March 1861.

The libretto for this opera combines two medieval legends. The first one tells of the knight who spends a year with the goddess Venus and the second concerns a Thuringian singing contest. The first tale, which is the basis for Acts I and III of the opera, was popularized by German folksongs of the fifteenth and sixteenth century, although the tale of a human falling in love with a goddess could have originated in pre-Christian lore. The refusal of forgiveness and the flowering of the Pope's staff is probably a Reformation era addition. The second story, which forms the opera's second act, tells of the Sängerkrieg ('Singer War') on the Wartburg. The participants were said to be the historical Heinrich von Ofterdingen, Wolfram von Eschenbach, and Walther von der Vogelweide, along with the mythical Klingsor of Hungary. Both of these legends were published in various versions by leading writers during the early nineteenth century.

Continue >>