TANNHAUSER Will Come to Zurich Opera House This Fall
Performances will run September 26 through October 13, 2026.
Zurich Opera House will revive Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser this fall, with performances scheduled from Sept. 26 through Oct. 13, 2026. The production, directed by Icelandic theater maker Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson, presents the composer's three-act opera as an exploration of identity, belonging and the search for meaning.
Markus Poschner conducts the production, which features a creative team including set designer Erna Mist, Costume Designer Teresa Vergho, lighting designer Martin Gebhardt, stunt coordinator Sebastian Zuber, chorus master Klaas-Jan de Groot and dramaturgs Jana Beckmann and Roman Reeger.
The cast is led by Eric Cutler in the title role of Tannhäuser, alongside Christina Nilsson as Elisabeth, Rachael Wilson as Venus and Christof Fischesser as Hermann, Landgrave of Thuringia. They are joined by Andrè Schuen as Wolfram von Eschenbach, Andrew Moore as Biterolf, Johan Krogius as Walther von der Vogelweide and Nathan Haller as Heinrich der Schreiber. The production also features the Choir of the Zurich Opera House, SoprAlti of the Zurich Opera House, the Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House and the Extras' Association at the Zurich Opera House.
Wagner's opera follows Tannhäuser after seven years in the mythical Venusberg, where he ultimately finds neither fulfillment nor peace. Returning to the rigid society of the Wartburg also leaves him spiritually adrift, as he struggles to reconcile desire, faith and redemption. Arnarsson's interpretation reimagines the work as an existential drama and surreal inner journey, emphasizing the protagonist's search for stability in an increasingly uncertain world.
Performed in German with German and English surtitles, Tannhäuser has a running time of approximately four hours and 15 minutes, including two intermissions. Audience introductions will be offered 45 minutes before each performance.
