Once you’ve tasted the pleasures of Venus, can a pure love tempt you back to earth?

Tannhäuser is in paradise, lost in the carnal delights of the Goddess Venus. Satiated beyond his wildest dreams, he returns to earth and tries to win the hand of the chaste Elisabeth at a singing contest. But Tannhäuser can only sing of passion and pleasure, and the crowd turns on him. Can a pilgrimage to Rome save his soul? Will Elisabeth’s pure love tempt him away from sin? And can Venus ever really let him go?

No one could write desire like Wagner. Tannhäuser explores the tension between passion and purity in the human soul, and with Wagner, that means a ravishing score, transcendent singing and an earth-shattering climax.

This is the Wagner event of the year — the world premiere of a new production of Tannhäuser by Sir David McVicar, exclusive to Melbourne. McVicar is one of the most talked-about opera directors this century (Opera Australia’s Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, Faust and Così fan tutte). He brings his incisive, provocative style to Wagner’s epic story of lust, redemption and what it means to be good. Music Director Andrea Battistoni conducts, leading a remarkable cast including tenor Sergei Skorokhodov in the title role.

Wagner’s epic opera pits erotic love against purity of heart, and the battle plays out in extraordinary, luscious music.