ahhhh TANNHAUSER

ok so you know you have seen an amazing opera if 5 days later you're still thinking about it and going HOLY SHIT THAT WAS AMAZING. on saturday i went to the LA Opera's performance of Wagner's Tannhauser. i've been to a lot of operas but always avoided Wagner because i thought that 4 hours of opera was a bit overkill (and i honestly thought i would fall asleep). however this production blew my mind away. first of all, the set design was spectacular. the stage was built on an angle and it had two round rotating stages with separations so that the stage shape and partitioning was changing throughout the whole opera. in the crevices of the round partitioning thingies there was a vertical strip of fluorescent tubing that changed colors to set the mood for the scene. the first act was all black and red, which worked to create an aura of sensuality and passion in venus's lair. the dramatic lighting combined with 10 naked dancers onstage simulating an orgy made the scene surreal in its complete embrace of passion and emotion. the second scene was black and white, which combined with the strict choreography of about 50 people onstage made a stunning visual spectacle. the third scene was green and black with a hint of purple at times. i thought that the last scene would have worked better if it had been blue because green symbolizes life and growth to me, but the last scene is tragic and the two protagonists die.

the combination of the bipolar emotional music and the visual scenery made an amazing experience that completely sucked me in for the entire 4 hours. i wish that venus had had a stronger voice (and had embodied what her character is: sexy) and that Tannhauser had been not as weak. however, the uncle's baritone voice and elizabeth's soprano made up for their lacking.

this was a an excellent example of art and music informing one another and widening one another's meaning. the interplay between the visual and auditory is already twisting how i approach my work a bit, for i am trying to incorporate more musical elemtnts into the development of my work.