Latest news with #Tannhäuser
Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Look inside ‘Mad' King Ludwig's refurbished Venus Grotto
The Venus Grotto, an artificial dripstone cave built for Ludwig II of Bavaria, has been reopened after a ten-year, €60 million refurbishment to restore its romantic splendour. Here, the eccentric 19th-century monarch rowed around a pool in a gilded shell-shaped boat as he gazed around the rock chamber, colourfully lit to variously resemble the cave from the first act of Wagner's opera Tannhäuser, or the Blue Grotto on the island of Capri. The cost of the repairs, borne by the state of Bavaria, spiralled from an original estimate of almost €25 million in 2014 and included the construction of entrance pipes for bats. ALAMY The expenses made it into a 'black book' of so-called wasteful spending compiled by the German Federation of Taxpayers, which lobbies for tax cuts and deregulation. However, there was no mention of waste at the reopening ceremony on Wednesday when Markus Söder, the Bavarian premier, lauded the cave as a 'unique place of longing'. The grotto, which is in the park of Linderhof Palace about 60 miles southwest of Munich, set new technical standards in creating a 'real dream world,' Söder said. 'We have painstakingly restored this treasure and preserved its radiance for future generations'. Like all Ludwig's fairytale palaces including the famous Neuschwanstein, the cave at Linderhof relied on cutting-edge 19th century technology to ensure that Ludwig could dive into his medieval worlds in the greatest possible comfort. Made exclusively for his use, it was furnished with a heating system that warmed the lake to temperatures rivalling modern wellness resorts (28C) with two boilers that burnt wood. Opened in 1877, it boasted one of the world's first electrical power plants, which illuminated the chamber that is 90m long and up to 14m high. It features a stage backdrop from the first act of Tannhäuser which has also been restored along with the boat, a shell throne, artificial flower garlands and plants, and more than 30,000 artificial stalactites and 465 stalagmites. JOHANNES SIMON/GETTY IMAGES JOHANNES SIMON/GETTY IMAGES The grotto had the world's first coloured illumination system that could bathe it in different colours with the help of interchangeable coloured glass attachments. The glowing hot theatre lights have been replaced with 272 LED lamps. It also has a waterfall and a wave machine. Albert Füracker, Bavaria's minister of finance and homeland affairs, said: 'We are celebrating an architectural masterpiece and the creative vision of a Bavarian monarch that combines romance and progress in perfect harmony.' However, the cave suffered from dampness and water ingress almost from the outset and required constant repairs. In 1889-90, a new roof was built above the main grotto but that didn't stop water from entering the cavern after heavy rainfall and snow melts. Nets were installed in the 1960s to protect visitors from falling debris, and scaffolding was fitted in the 1990s. Full refurbishment began in 2015 with the aim of returning the grotto to its state as Ludwig had savoured it. A new roof, drainage and ventilation system were built. As the work progressed, more problems came to light, driving up the costs. Linderhof's 350,000 annual visitor count is eclipsed by the million of Neuschwanstein Castle, which has also undergone restoration in recent years. Ludwig, an ardent admirer and patron of Wagner, regarded himself as a successor to the knights of Schwangau whose heraldic animal was the swan, and fantasised about being the fictitious swan knight Lohengrin. He was dethroned in 1886 on the grounds of insanity after running up substantial debts on his lavish projects. His subsequent death in Lake Starnberg was ruled as suicide but that verdict has been disputed. He was 40. Germany owes him a debt of gratitude for creating some if its greatest tourist attractions. Bavaria has applied for his palaces to be granted Unesco World Heritage status and a decision is expected in the summer.
Axios
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
At the Houston Grand Opera, two spring shows wrestle with love, faith and fate
Both of the spring shows at the Houston Grand Opera lean into the season's "truly, madly, deeply" theme — with heavy doses of religion — but they are distinctly different in story, tone and experience. State of the opera:" Breaking the Waves" is a contemporary opera that premiered in 2016, composed by Missy Mazzoli. It's sung in English and is unsettling and strange, but you will get hooked with the plot line. "Breaking the Waves" is about a devout young woman in a conservative religious community who believes sacrificing herself — emotionally and sexually — is the only way to save her paralyzed husband. The intrigue:"Breaking the Waves" was supposed to make its HGO debut in the 2020-2021 season, but it was delayed by the pandemic. The piece is sexually explicit in a way you don't expect on the opera stage — it has profanity, nudity and graphic scenes. Mazzoli wasn't sure she'd ever compose the piece. When her librettist suggested adapting Lars von Trier's 1996 film, she was hesitant — but she said "the idea wouldn't leave me alone." What they're saying: Mazzoli is part of a small group of composers bringing opera into the 21st century. She tells Axios, "I love being part of the operatic tradition … I'm not out here to destroy the tradition and burn it all down and build it again." "I see this film and this story as the story of a woman in an impossible situation where everyone is telling her what to do, and she's left only with her own agency and her own idea of what is moral and what is good," Mazzoli says. My experience:"Breaking the Waves" was a haunting, twisted story. I still don't know exactly how I feel about the plot, but I know the production and its ethical questions will stay with me. The opera is no doubt a talker for its hard-to-shake themes. I was also struck by the multipurpose set design and the dramatic, nautical-influenced score. Meanwhile, Richard Wagner's " Tannhäuser" is a traditional opera. It follows a knight torn between sacred love and earthly desire, wrestling with redemption and damnation. It's big. It's slow. It's full of Wagner's famous dramatic and soaring music. The production is grand, with beautiful, ornate set design. Wagner's music in "Tannhäuser" is as rich and sweeping as always but he continues to test my attention span with a four-hour opera. As beautiful as his productions are, I'm starting to realize the stories just might not be for me — at least now. That said, I'm probably in the minority, as plenty of people around me were excitedly analyzing the symbolism. If you go: "Breaking the Waves" runs through May 4, and "Tannhäuser" is on through May 11.
New York Times
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Climate Activists Interrupt New York City Ballet Performance
A small group of climate change activists interrupted a New York City Ballet performance at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center on Tuesday, the opening night of the company's spring season. The protest occurred shortly before 9 p.m., as dancers and orchestra musicians performed Balanchine's 'Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,' the third ballet on an all-Balanchine program for the opening night, which coincided this year with Earth Day. A woman began yelling from the balcony. Then, she shouted, 'We're in a climate emergency,' and unfurled a banner from a balcony. 'Our country has become a fascist regime, and we are enjoying this beauty,' said the protester, according to videos of the incident. The dancers and musicians continued to perform through the demonstration for about five minutes. Some members of the audience booed the protesters and demanded their removal. The curtain came down, an announcer said the show would be paused because of the disruption and security officers removed several protesters from the auditorium. About five minutes later, 'Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux' restarted from the beginning and the performance did not face further interruptions, City Ballet said in a statement. Activists had also gathered outside the theater before the performance, holding signs reading 'Koch killing the planet' and 'No billionaire ballet on Earth Day,' according to photos posted online. The theater is named after David H. Koch, a billionaire who donated vast sums to support the arts but was for some a polarizing figure because of his campaign to counter the science of climate change. The climate advocacy group Extinction Rebellion, which has organized similar protests, said in a social media post Tuesday night that the demonstration was meant to highlight the Koch family's support for conservative causes and efforts to block policies to fight climate change. The protest follows similar episodes at other high-profile performances. Last year, three climate change protesters disrupted a Broadway performance of 'An Enemy of the People,' starring Jeremy Strong. And in 2023, climate activists interrupted a performance of Wagner's 'Tannhäuser' at the Metropolitan Opera. A protester shouted 'The spring is tainted,' and dropped a banner that read 'No Opera on a Dead Planet.'
The Guardian
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
LPO/Guggeis review – Wagner and Strauss touches both body and soul
It was Donald Tovey who first coined the phrase 'bleeding chunks', referring to the often unsatisfactory practice of excerpting Wagner's operas out of context. German conductor Thomas Guggeis's rather neat solution here was to stitch them together into a relatively seamless whole. It certainly worked well in the second half of this Wagner and Strauss program, the London Philharmonic segueing effortlessly from Tannhäuser into Lohengrin and on to Die Meistersingers von Nürnberg. Guggeis, whose Wagnerian credentials are impeccable, was an urgent presence, his eloquent body language and balletic arms conveying his every musical wish. If it was a little distracting at times, the results spoke for themselves. In the Tannhäuser Overture, the burnished brass of the Pilgrims hymn contrasted with skittish violins and woodwind in the Venusberg music. Sensual strings were coaxed to an orgiastic climax replete with crashing cymbals and clacking castanets before Guggeis crouched low to tease out a balmy post-coital epilogue. The subsequent Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin featured radiant violins and a sonorous brass chorale. The Meistersingers Overture was crisp and confident, with an ardent sweep to the love music. It was a pity the brass smothered the violin figurations towards the end, taking the top off of an otherwise fine account. The first half was less fluid. Of course, the Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde comes pre-stitched, as it were, a 17-minute musical odyssey that tops and tails four hours of opera to create a surprisingly effective tone poem. Opening with an impeccable pianissimo, Guggeis crafted the music's twin peaks with persuasive attention to dynamic detail. While Strauss's Four Last Songs don't exactly mirror Tristan, they share common themes of transcendence and memory. Renée Fleming is an experienced hand, having first recorded them in 1996. The voice retains much of its creaminess, even if the acrobatics in the opening Frühling (Spring) seem more of a stretch these days. She was at her finest spinning the long lyrical lines of Beim Schlafengehen (Going to Sleep) and in the resigned musings of Im Abendrot (At Sunset), where her communicative gifts reached out to touch the soul.
Telegraph
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
A magnificent return for Renée Fleming, plus the best of March's classical concerts
Renée Fleming/ Royal Festival Hall ★★★★☆ Since her retirement from the operatic stage was announced in 2017 the great American soprano Renée Fleming has had more comebacks than the Spice Girls. She's played Pat Nixon in John Adams' Nixon in China, taken the lead role in a brand-new opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the scene of her greatest triumphs, and recorded an album of song which carried off a Grammy Award. And she insists she never said she was retiring anyway. Now in her mid-60s, Fleming is throwing most of her energies into music-and-health initiatives and rations her appearances carefully. Her performance last night with the London Philharmonic Orchestra was billed as 'An Evening with Renée Fleming', but most of the evening was actually taken up with orchestral highlights from Wagner's Tannhäuser, Lohengrin and Die Meistersinger, each flowing into the next in a rapturous phantasmagoria. On the podium was young German conductor Thomas Guggeis, who seemed over-controlling and somewhat rigid in the purely orchestral pieces, but was a wonderfully sensitive accompanist to Fleming – which was what really mattered. As for Fleming herself, she sang only the Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss, and one lovely encore. It seemed a small thing to fly across the Atlantic for. But it was worth it. Fleming's voice may not have the power it once had, and there were times, especially in the refulgent last song when she was overpowered by the orchestra. But the exquisite sheen is still there, and that magnificent control of the melodic line, which never wavered. And above all the connection with the emotional heart of Strauss's masterpiece. Strauss's songs distil a lifetime of experience and his tempestuous 60-year marriage to his beloved Pauline, in feelings of gratitude and an acceptance of mortality. Nature acts as the mirror of these feelings, beginning with a rush of ecstasy in Spring, and darkening towards the sunset of the final song. Fleming caught that transition beautifully. The ending of September where she sang of falling leaves was perhaps the evening's most blissful moment – a feeling amplified by the lovely sunset-glow horn solo from John Ryan. In the third song where the words speak of sinking into sleep, it was a smiling, eyes-closed, almost-inaudible form of oblivion Fleming offered. We were back in the world of Wagner's Liebestod (Love-Death) from Tristan and Isolde, which the LPO and Guggeis had shrewdly played as a curtain-raiser to set us in the right mood. Though Fleming's sound was predominantly radiant it could take on a dark intensity, which rung out with startling force on the very first word of the first song – 'dämmrigen', half-light. Lovely though all this was, the evening's best moment vocally actually came in the encore, Strauss's rapturous, quiet Morgen (morning) where the lighter orchestration meant that Fleming's exquisite small voice could float freely, and the words were properly audible. As Fleming departed with a friendly smile, the applause wasn't the wild kind that often greets a diva's fleeting appearance. It was a heartfelt acknowledgement of real artistry.
