2*DVD9 - NTSC - 4:3 - All Regions - German - LPCM, DTS - 188min.
Subtitles: German/English/French/Spanish/Chinese
Deutsche Grammophon 2008
Performer: Bernd Weikl, Spas Wenkoff, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Robert Schunk, Hans Sotin
Conductor: Sir Colin Davis
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
Directed by Götz Friedrich
In John Neumeier's genuinely erotic choreography, the ballet becomes images of love from the innocent to the destructive . . . Colin Davis conducts the usual hybrid Paris-Dresden edition with theatrical drive. The chorus is simply stunning. Spas Wenkoff surpasses himself as a credible hero, sung with ardour and beauty. Jones is also in fine shape, singing with tragic fervour . . . Bern Weikl's Wolfram is strong, and Hans Sotin's Landgraf resonantly powerful. Record Review / Michael Scott Rohan, BBC Music Magazine (London) / 01. September 2008
Wolframs do not come nobler than Bernd Weikl . . . what a superb listener he is onstage. Hans Sotin . . . sings genuine Wagnerian bel canto. The standout among the "Minnesänger" is that always-powerful singing actor Franz Mazura (Biterolf). A Tölzer choirboy is the vocally capable Shepherd, onstage for both his first-act song and for the opening of Act 3. Record Review / Roger Pines, International Record Review (London) / 01. November 2008
Musically, the performance is nearly unassailable. Gwyneth Jones . . . is an imperious, silver-masked sex goddess in act I, then miraculously transforms into a pure sounding (and looking) Elisabeth for the opening of act II . . . The Bulgarian tenor Spas Wenkoff . . . is a robustly voiced, passionate, excitable Tannhäuser. Bernd Weil's lyrical baritone is placed in the service of a gentle, sympathetic Wolfram. Act III offers three consecutive passages of terrific dramatic potency, proceeding from Elisabeth's prayer, a manifestation of spiritual strength without a trace of self-pity to a leisurely-paced "Evening Star" to an involving Rome Narrative, in which the title character seems to be reliving his ordeal . . . Colin Davis's leadership from the pit is propulsive and carefully shaped . . . the Bayreuth orchestra, as always, is magnificent . . . this version belongs in any good-sized Wagner DVD collection. Record Review / Andrew Quint, Fanfare (Tenafly, NJ) / 01. January 2009
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