OVERVIEW

Libretto by Richard Wagner

Musical preparation Marek Šedivý
Stage director Jiří Nekvasil

Drawing inspiration from several literary sources, Wagner wrote a libretto combining elements of German romantic opera and French grand opera in 1843. This gave birth to a romantic opera "par excellence" which stepped ahead to the "musical drama". The character of the mythical minnesinger Tannhäuser—one of the most demanding tenor roles in the operatic repertoire—personifies the conflict between sensual and spiritual love, and the journey towards redemption is the unifying theme of most of the composer's works.
Despite repeated revisions during his lifetime, Wagner told his wife Cosima shortly before his death, "I remain indebted to the world for my Tannhäuser," by which he meant the definitive version.
The work first appeared in Ostrava in 1924 and returns to the stage of the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre as the fifth production after more than fifty years.

Performed in German with Czech and English subtitles.