Following my recent criticism of the Royal Opera House holocaust themed "Nabucco", here's one even worse.
I have a great deal of time for Wagner, and it is certainly possible to make a good argument that his anti-Semitic leanings are worthy of being addressed in productions. But "Tannhauser" has nothing to say that could be appropriate for such explicit reference to the Holocaust. In fact, it's the story of a young man seeking redemption following some ill-advised bonking. This is just the wrong place for such allusions.
I have clearly not seen the production, so my criticism here is based on my knowledge of "Tannhauser" itself and on just how uncomfortable it felt watching a much milder Holocaust allegory in the recent "Nabucco".
I don't know if I am ready for the Holocaust as entertainment. It seems I'm not the only one. Maybe we need to wait another generation for that.
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