Vagner. Tangeizer. Uvertiura

Opera Tangeiser is written on the plot of a medieval chivalrous legend. The main conflict of the opera lies in the juxtaposition and struggle of the two beginnings: the spiritual and the sensual. The first is expressed in the images of pilgrims and Knights-Christians, as well as in the image of the bride Tangeiser Elizabeth; second in the image of Venus and her magical grotto. This same juxtaposition found a symphonic embodiment in a remarkable overture to the opera, which is one of the most brilliant creatures of programmatic and symphonic music. The overture to Tangeiser exists in Liszt's piano transcription. The overture not only includes the main themes of the opera, it reveals and summarizes its dramatic essence. Therefore, Liszt in an article about Tangeiser called this overture a symphonic poem on the plot of the opera.