Product Details

• Actors: René Kollo, Waltraud Meier, Bernd Weikl, Claes H. Ahnsjö, Nadine Secunde
• Directors: Brian Large
• Writers: Richard Wagner
• Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, Full Screen
• Language: German (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), German (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: March 6, 2001
• Run Time: 193 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000055XST
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,295 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Wagner - Tannhauser / Mehta, Kollo, National Theatre of Munich" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In Richard Wagner's obsessive drama, with its themes of sin and repentance, cultural inhibition and artistic spontaneity, sexual excess and lost innocence, symbols sprout as profusely as dandelions on summer lawns. A lot of the symbols were put there by the composer (who also wrote the libretto), but for this production director David Alden has decided to add many more--notably in the first scene: an orgy in the love nest of the goddess Venus. The sadomasochistic visuals, reminiscent of the feverish inventions of Hieronymus Bosch, may help to explain Tannhäuser's decision that he wants to go home. Like the scenery, the costumes are eclectic, ranging from modern, formal evening gowns to medieval suits of armor and even, in a few choice instances, nothing at all.

The director may be trying to say too many things at once. The profusion of visual symbols shows a rich imagination, but a more clearly defined focus would have been helpful. That kind of focus is found in the acting, partly because Alden is a good director but also because he is working with seasoned performers. René Kollo as Tannhäuser and Bernd Weikl as Wolfram von Eschenbach have made specialties of these roles, and even when the story strains credibility or when the music strains their voices, they give convincing portrayals, as do Waltraud Meier and Nadine Secunde and the supporting cast. Zubin Mehta's conducting is opulent if not subtle. This is an intriguing though sometimes disturbing production. But on the whole, those who want a straightforward, well-sung, visually superb, and problem-free Tannhäuser would prefer the DVD edition of the superb Metropolitan Opera production. --Joe McLellan

Product Description

In Richard Wagner's obsessive drama, with its themes of sin and repentance, cultural inhibition and artistic spontaneity, sexual excess and lost innocence, symbols sprout as profusely as dandelions on summer lawns. A lot of the symbols were put there by the composer (who also wrote the libretto), but for this production director David Alden has decided to add many more--notably in the first scene: an orgy in the love nest of the goddess Venus. The sadomasochistic visuals, reminiscent of the feverish inventions of Hieronymus Bosch, may help to explain Tannh?§user's decision that he wants to go home. Like the scenery, the costumes are eclectic, ranging from modern, formal evening gowns to medieval suits of armor and even, in a few choice instances, nothing at all.\n The director may be trying to say too many things at once. The profusion of visual symbols shows a rich imagination, but a more clearly defined focus would have been helpful. That kind of focus is found in the acting, partly because Alden is a good director but also because he is working with seasoned performers. Ren?© Kollo as Tannh?§user and Bernd Weikl as Wolfram von Eschenbach have made specialties of these roles, and even when the story strains credibility or when the music strains their voices, they give convincing portrayals, as do Waltraud Meier and Nadine Secunde and the supporting cast. Zubin Mehta's conducting is opulent if not subtle. This is an intriguing though sometimes disturbing production. But on the whole, those who want a straightforward, well-sung, visually superb, and problem-free "Tannh?§user" would prefer the DVD edition of the superb Metropolitan Opera production. "--Joe McLellan"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NADINE SECUNDE! NADINE SECUNDE!! NADINE SECUNDE!!!, April 17, 2001

By 

Noam Eitan (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wagner - Tannhauser / Mehta, Kollo, National Theatre of Munich (DVD)

When American soprano, Nadine Secunde, appeared as Elisabeth in act II of this Munich production of Tannhäuser, I was transfixed. "She looks like she is straight out of a '30's production," I thought. Could this have been what Kirsten Flagstad's debut in the MET felt like to her unsuspecting audience? How do you describe a star? Whatever it takes to be one, Ms. Secunde has got it. It is not only her voice and magnetic stage presence. She has this rare dramatic quality that hypnotizes you and makes you forget everything else. Despite this, she has performed for years, generally, to mixed reviews.

This is rather shocking. How can the existence of a talent of this order go unannounced by headlines in the media? All anyone has ever been hearing for the past half-century is that, "there are no great Wagnerian voices these days." The truth is that some of today's young singers surpass their distinguished predecessors. The reason that they do not receive the same kind of adulation as these earlier legends is twofold. First, the public is conditioned by reissued recordings and has become less receptive to new talent. This rigidity, shaped and nurtured by technology, is unprecedented in the history of the performing arts. The second reason is that, in the opinion of a number of performers, the music and recording industry is a Mafia. This explains why some singers are regulars on every other new recording (e.g. C.S.), while others languish.

Another pleasant surprise on this DVD is René Kollo. When he recorded this Tannhäuser he had been singing the role for a quarter of a century. I expected him to be beyond his prime. However, my impression was that even though his voice was not as youthful sounding as on the '71 Solti set, he compensated with better discipline. The impetuous quality of his sound production on the Solti was in character. It had its charms. Though, it was somewhat annoying beyond a certain point, particularly with the occasional deficiency of vibrato. His conception of the role here is more detailed and controlled. Personally I prefer the wisdom of experience he brings to the role in this performance to his histrionics on the Solti set.

The rest of the cast is first rate. Waltraud Meier and Bernd Weikl are incomparable. Zubin Mehta conducts this score as if he had been doing it all his life. He supports the singers without drowning them, maintains just the right level of drama and does not use it as a vehicle of his ego to make a statement about the meaning of life. It is quite amazing to recall that only twenty years earlier Mehta was struggling to be taken seriously as a Wagnerian conductor in Europe. After you listen to this glorious cast on act I, you feel that this is as good as it can get. But then Nadine Secunde appears in act II, and the rest is history.

I lack the erudition, the refinement and the cultural sophistication to comment on the bizarre sets and décor.

There are now three Tannhäusers on DVD. This one has the best voices and the best sound. The Naples production benefits from film director Werner Herzog's genius and is reviewed separately. Compared to these two the MET's is shockingly traditional, in the best possible sense. It is a throwback to how a lavish Tannhäuser may have looked a hundred years ago. The dark lighting serves to highlight the romanticism. The major drawback of the MET production is the poor German diction of the tenor, Richard Cassilly. He also sounds strained. Picture quality on the MET is in line with other Pioneer Classics reissues-grainy. It is much better on the other two Tannhäuser DVD's.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars gloomy but not for want of stars, February 15, 2003

By 

Poldergeist (France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wagner - Tannhauser / Mehta, Kollo, National Theatre of Munich (DVD)

As for the visual aspect of this "Tannhäuser", it is dominated by gloom and a lack of colour to the point where it often looks like a black-and-white show.
The creatures living in the Venusberg look fleshy but hardly appetizing. "La chaire est triste" in this lovenest, and one wonders why Tannhauser went there in the first place. Wagner never suggested that his hero came from Mars, so why should he have felt attracted by that naked woman crawling over the scene and showing off her huge green (!)Bavarian buttocks?
Having fled this inferno (where boredom seems to be the greatest torment), our hero is supposed to find the colours and vigour of nature, but the real world is just as dark as the one he has left behind. There is no sign of hope in this opera (even the pilgrims come back dressed in black, just as they were before), so the only way out is death. All the more as Tannhauser's former friends are depicted as a bunch of unpleasant hypocrites, oddly dressed of course (I've got so used to these weird costumes that I hardly notice them anymore. Let's just be thankful they kept the scuba-diving equipment for next time).
The singing and acting is quite convincing on the other hand.
Meyer, Rooterink, and Weikl are excellent. Unlike other reviewers I do think Kollo sounds slightly past his prime. Some passages sound forced, and I prefer Windgassen anyway...
The biggest surprise for me wass Nadine Secunde. The prayer at the beginning of the third act moved me to tears. Here the bleak setting (not to mention the clothes) provided a potent contrast to the pure and deeply sensitive voice that brings light into this darkness.
The orchestra and chorus is very good. I love Mehta's interpretation of the prelude to the Third Act (the horns are magic)
All in all, I recommend this work in spite of its shortcomings. The overall quality is very good.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally a Wagnerian soprano who is not super-sized!, October 8, 2006

By 

Mr John Haueisen (WORTHINGTON, OHIO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Wagner - Tannhauser / Mehta, Kollo, National Theatre of Munich (DVD)

This is the best Tannhauser presently available, chiefly because of Waltraud Meier, as Venus.

A major key in the success of a visual production of Tannahauser is an attractive Venus. That's not something most of us, surrounded by political correctness, like to hear, but the essential tension in the story is set up by Heinrich's attraction to the sensual aspects of life (Venus) as opposed to "ideal" or more platonic or altruistic love (Elisabeth). You only have to hear Waltraud Meier's passionate pleading with Heinrich (Rene Kollo), and see her writhing on the long dining table to feel Heinrich's attraction to the sensual side of life.

I don't agree with the reviewers who have said that Kollo's or Weikl's voices were "past it." A few times, there may be a hint of straining, but generally they are excellent.

Kollo makes up for any hint of weakness through great acting which he brings to the role of Tannhauser, especially as he taunts the other knights during the singing contest.

I was not blown away as others were by Nadine Secunde (Elisabeth). Her singing is quite good, but certainly it did not steal the show.

When it comes to stealing the show, I'm not sure whether it was Wagner's "Evening Star" song, or Bernd Weikl's performance of it. If you can watch and listen to that song, without tears welling up in your eyes, you must be made of stone.