Ah, the crisp autumnal air, the scent of firewood and the latest operatic outcry over the sins of Katharina Wagner! The opera in question is the always questionable Rienzi on stage at Opera Bremen.
Adolph Hitler’s favorite (He once owned the autograph score) is overtly political and in many ways not typical of Wagner’s output. But the 1842 opera continues to be performed from time to time and certainly has messages that could be construed “relevant” today. That is, if the opera itself isn’t turned into an exercise in caricature. You be the judge.
Suzanne Calvin, Assoc. Dir. of Marketing, The Dallas Opera