The extensive excerpts from Acts II and III of this Tannhäuser effectively whet one's appetite for the balance of the performance, especially since we only get a glimpse of Astrid Varnay's seductive Venus. In what is left, the clear standout is Ernst Kozub's Tannhäuser, stentorian in the song competition and absolutely gripping in a dead-on-the-inside recounting of the Rome Narration. Anja Silja is a piercing, powerful Elisabeth. Oddly after her opening aria the rest of the role is sung by Berit Lindholm. Heinz Imdahl's lyrical Wolfram and Franz Crass's sturdy Landgraf complete the exciting cast. Heinrich Hollreiser conducts.