Opera "Tannhauser": what is the essence of the scandal? Tannhauser, Wagner

In 2015, the theatrical world of Russia shook the scandal associated with the opera "Tannhauser", which was staged in the Novosibirsk theater. He led to several loud personnel decisions in this cultural institution.

The plot of "Tannhauser"

It is enough to look at the plot of the opera in order to understand the essence of the scandal. "Tannhauser" is not a new work. The opera was written by Richard Wagner in 1845. It affects many religious topics. According to the story, the main character Tannhauser experiences a fall from the ancient goddess Venus. The opera also features the image of Jesus Christ and the Christian God.

For the XIX century, it was a very free play, which could not please many religious dogmatists. However, Germany is a Protestant country where the principles of freedom of conscience and religion have long existed. Opera, like many other works of Wagner, became a classic of the world theater.

Criticism of the ROC

It is necessary to understand the confrontation between the Ministry of Culture and the theater personnel in order to understand the essence of the scandal. "Tannhauser" was criticized by the Russian Orthodox Church. A public dispute arose after Tikhon complained to the opera (Metropolitan of Novosibirsk and Berdsky). At the same time, the actor himself did not see the play, but referred to the indignation of some Orthodox spectators of the local theater.

Metropolitan several times publicly criticized the Tannhauser. In particular, he demanded to remove him from the repertoire of the theater. In addition, Tikhon urged the Orthodox residents of Novosibirsk to go to a rally (prayerful standing) against "blasphemy against Jesus Christ", etc.

Administrative case against Kulyabin

For the first time the opera theater showed the production of "Tannhauser" in December 2014. Its author was the famous director Timofei Kulyabin. He in every possible way publicly defended his offspring from criticizing the Russian Orthodox Church, primarily appealing to the fact that there is freedom of speech in the country.

It is also necessary to pay attention to those proceedings in court that began in connection with this story in order to understand what the essence of the scandal is. "Tannhauser" led to the fact that the prosecutor's office of the Novosibirsk region started an administrative case on Kulyabin. He was accused of insulting the feelings of believers. Another respondent in this process was Boris Mezdrich, the director of the Opera and Ballet Theater. The case was opened in February 2015, and that's when the scandal first came to the federal level. The event was attended by the leading media, after which the whole country became aware of this story.

The position of the theatrical community

When it became known about the lawsuit against Mezdrich and Kulyabin, they were supported by almost all the famous theater figures of the country. This was a rare example of guild solidarity among the numerous actors and directors. In support of the performance were expressed: Mark Zakharov, Oleg Tabakov, Valery Fokin, Kirill Serebryannikov, Yevgeny Mironov, Chulpan Khamatova, Oleg Menshikov, Irina Prokhorova, Dmitry Chernyakov and others. Simultaneously, theatrical critics in their reviews positively responded to the artistic features of the opera Tannhauser. Novosibirsk for several months turned into the epicenter of the country's cultural news.

A few weeks later the court closed the case against Mezdrich and Kulyabin. But the flywheel was already untwisted. After a failure with the Prosecutor General's Office, supporters of the ROC began to complain to the Investigation Committee, the FSB and other state bodies. This agenda was intercepted in the Ministry of Culture. It became the main opponent of the Tannhauser.

March 29, 2015, the Minister of Culture of Russia Vladimir Medinsky dismissed the director of the Novosibirsk theater Boris Mezdrych. The reason was that the latter consistently defended the opera and did not remove it from the repertoire in spite of criticism from the church and its supporters.

The ministry demanded from Mezdrich, if not to remove the performance, then at least to make in it the plot changes demanded by the activists. Also, the director was ordered to cut funding for the production. He refused all this, after which he was fired. So the scandalous opera "Tannhauser" led to an even greater conflict in society.

The dismissal of Mezdrich

In place of dismissed Mezdrich was appointed Vladimir Kekhman. Prior to that, he also directed the St. Petersburg Mikhailovsky Theater. However, much more Kekhman was known as a businessman. In the 90 years he created the largest company in the Russian market for fruit imports, for which he was nicknamed the "banana king." Because of his previous activities, not associated with the theater, many cultural figures criticized the personnel decision of Minister Vladimir Medinsky.

Colorful Kekhman in 2012 was declared bankrupt. Prior to his appointment as theater director, he publicly called for the banning of Tannhauser. The opera, in his opinion, offended the feelings of believers and was blasphemy. On March 31, 2015 Vladimir Kekhman, who had just become the theater's director, took off the play from his repertoire. It is curious that Vladimir Medinsky did not support this decision, saying that the opera needed only adjustments.

The dispute about censorship

The opposition of director Kulyabin and the Ministry of Culture is what the scandal is all about (the Tannhauser is by no means all considered scandalous). This conflict led to heated debate about whether there is censorship in state theaters. Minister Medinsky denied this formulation and referred to Russian legislation.

In addition to the fact that the story of the Tannhauser led to criticism from the Ministry of Culture, a dispute about the legislation affecting religious issues broke out with renewed vigor. According to the Constitution, Russia is a secular state. This means that any church and religious organization is separated from power. Also in Russia the principle of freedom of religion is enshrined. All these legal norms became the main arguments for the protection of director Kulyabin and director Mezdrich in court.

Reconstruction of the theater

Opponents and supporters of the "Tannhauser" at various times organized several actions to publicly demonstrate their position. "Prayer standing" against the production of the opera brought together hundreds of Orthodox activists who demanded to leave Kulyabin without work.

It is interesting that after the scandal, the Novosibirsk Opera Theater was decided to temporarily close the reconstruction. The new director, Vladimir Kekhman, announced this a week after he was appointed to his post. Therefore, in April, all the productions of the plays were stopped at the theater altogether.

The management of the institution linked the closure with economic reasons. The building began repairing the auditorium, make-up rooms, foyer and classes for rehearsals. It was then that the interest in the scandal that caused the performance of Tannhauser began to subside. The opera no longer appeared on the Novosibirsk stage.

Public response

It should be noted that the Ministry of Culture even before the appointment of Kehman organized a public discussion of the sensational Novosibirsk production. The walls of this institution brought together directors, theater critics and representatives of the church. They tried to discuss the opera Tannhauser, whose libretto was written by Wagner, but the dialogue did not work out.

Proponents of the statement referred to the document adopted in the Kremlin, "The Basics of Cultural Policy," which described the state's actions in the sphere of culture. It highlighted the fragments relating to the creation of all necessary conditions for the realization of the creative potential of any citizen. This principle completely disagreed with the position taken by church hierarchs who criticized the opera.

Theatrical critics also noted that the performance is a recognized international classics of the genre. This opera is put on the best venues of the world. Evaluate it should also be given the fact that it was written by a man who lived in the XIX century - Richard Wagner. "Tannhäuser" eloquently conveys the vision of the world, which was popular in that era. One way or another, religious leaders and their opponents failed to reach an agreement. To date, the case with the "Tannhauser" remains the loudest of its kind.