Deustches-Oper Berlin takes on Hitler's favorite opera Rienzi
by Paul J. Pelkonen
This DVD presents a bold re-interpretation of this early opera by Richard Wagner. The title character is re-imagined as a 20th century dictator with a uniform fetish, who rises to power on the back of the common people, only to be killed in an underground bunker in the last act. (Sound like anyone you've heard of?) It's fitting that this brilliant staging by Philipp Stölzl was filmed at the Deutsches Oper Berlin in 2010. It's the first Rienzi on video, and the first essential Wagner DVD to be released in some time.
by Paul J. Pelkonen
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Torsten Kerl as Rienzi, rising above the rabble.
Photo by Bettina Stöß © 2010 Deutsches Oper Berlin
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