in 1859, "tannhäuser" was the first wagner opera to be performed in the united states of america. by 1861, the opera had been performed many times in germany when wagner was asked to revise the work for the paris opéra. despite his best efforts, wagner failed. he was not popular. anti-wagner riots broke out. he withdrew the work. it was not staged again in france until 1895. meanwhile, the opera opened the second season of the metropolitan opera in new york city in november 1884.