Houston Grand Opera Presents Tannhäuser

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

“… The opera shares the story of the title character who, at curtain’s open, has abandoned his religious community, and his life as poet who sings of courtly love, in favor of the carnal delights of the goddess Venus. He returns home, hoping to reunite with his spiritual love Elisabeth, but first must undertake an epic journey to redemption.

Zambello has updated the story, originally set in 13th-century Germany, to turn-of-the-century America, where the artist Tannhäuser is part of a strict religious community. He ventures out into a place that conjures Gilded Age New York City, where he has his interlude with Venus before seeking to reenter his community..."