Wagner at the Venusberg

In Tannhäuser, the tension that was becoming a feature of Wagner’s art – between the forces of erotic love and compassionate renunciation – is resolved in favour of compassion. In this session we’ll sample some original music of the most celebrated Minnesinger of the 13th century, Walther von der Vogelweide who appears as a character in Wagner’s opera, view a Hollywood re-enactment of the Pilgrims’ Chorus set in Wagner’s day, and appreciate why Liszt, Schumann, Hanslick and others were bowled over by this extraordinary work in 1845.