The current duo of half sisters, direct down the tree of the grand ol Wagner himself, are attempting to make the hard seated limited ticket ultra elite opera fest a bit more family friendly. This year they offered up a condensed and reworked version of Tannhäuser which was attend by 200 or so budding little Ring Cycleaholics.
“The story of “Tannhäuser†was adapted to make it more age-appropriate. As written, when Wagner’s opera opens, we see the minnesinger Tannhäuser enjoying round-the-clock Bacchanalian orgies in Venus’s enchanted realm. Part of him knows he should get out of there, but he cannot help himself.”
You can read more at the NYT  Music: ‘Tannhäuser’ for the Tenderhearted at Bayreuth Festival.
