Wagner didn’t really do understated, and 1845's Tannhäuser is the perfect example, from its bracing Overture to its shattering climax. His works were epic in scale, fantastically mythological in plot, ...

Daniel Barenboim is slowly making his way through Richard Wagner’s mature operas in concert performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Thursday at Symphony Center, he arrived at “Tannhaeuser,” ...