Wagner’s Tannhäuser receives a highly anticipated new staging from internationally acclaimed director Francesca Zambello—and Houston audiences will be the first to experience her strikingly beautiful production. Lust and love, diametrically opposed forces in the opera’s universe, do battle within the title character’s psyche as the story unfolds. At curtain’s open, Tannhäuser has abandoned his life as a poet who sings of courtly love in favor of the carnal delights of the goddess Venus, spending a rapture-filled year on her magic mountain in the sky. Seeking something more, he renounces her, hoping to find redemption—and a union back home in Germany with his spiritual love Elisabeth. But his epic journey to salvation has been cursed.  
 
A powerhouse cast up to the formidable challenges of Wagner’s sublimely beautiful score is set to deliver an unforgettable experience for HGO audiences: tenor Russell Thomas in his role debut as Tannhäuser, soprano Tamara Wilson as Elisabeth, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke as Venus, baritone Luke Sutliff as Wolfram von Eschenbach, and bass Alexandros Stavrakakis in his company debut as Landgraf Hermann. Erik Nielsen, acclaimed music director of Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, makes his company debut at the podium.