Wagner: Tannhäuser (Bayreuth, 1978)

Apart from the brothers Wieland and Wolfgang Wagner, no one has directed at the Bayreuth Festival as often as Götz Friedrich since the end of the World War II. His Tannhäuser, the first of his three productions on the Green Hill, grows entirely out of the inner contradictions of the title character. Venus and Elisabeth are portrayed by the same singer – a challenge that Gwyneth Jones, also a celebrated Bayreuth Brünnhilde, rises to impressively. Because of its political emphasis, the production was booed at its first performance, but is now considered a highlight of the festival's history. Götz Friedrich moved from the GDR to the West a few months after the production was unveiled.

Soloists: 

Gwyneth Jones (Soprano), Franz Mazura (Bass), John Pickering (Tenor), Heinz Feldhoff (Bass), Hans Sotin (Bass), Robert Schunk (Tenor), Spas Wenkoff (Tenor), Bernd Weikl (Baritone)

Ensembles: 

Bayreuth Festival Chorus, Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele

Conductor: 

Sir Colin Davis