The Wartburg Dilemma:

Tannhäuser - Which version?
Dresden or Paris?

First premiered in 1845 at the Dresden Court Opera, Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser underwent drastic revision for the Paris Opéra. 
At its 1861 premiere in Paris, the opera was booed off the stage.

Yet both versions are still performed today.

What were the differences in the music?  Why was the opera a flop in Paris? 
There is more to the opera than just the music!

We present an examination with rare audio and visual examples the evolution of Wagner’s Tannhäuser
from its first performances to its disaster at the Paris Opera to the final version at the Vienna Court Opera, 1875