Rienzi: Der Letzte der Tribunen

Stagings of Wagner's titular 1842 opera are rare, which makes this 2010 Deutsche Oper Berlin production welcome, while also making it clear why the work is infrequently mounted. Wagner's libretto—based on the life of the titular 14th-century Italian who led a populist rebellion against Rome's nobility, only to eventually lose favor with the mob—is stilted, while his score, despite impressive moments, is overextended. Director Philipp Stölzl addresses the latter problem by compressing the original five acts into two, seriously reducing the original six-hour running time. And he's seized on the story's prefiguring of 20th-century history (and the fact that Hitler was enamored of the piece) to stage it in Fascist trappings. The overture is turned into a wordless tableau, in which a stand-in for full-throated tenor Torsten Kerl, as Rienzi, dances about while dreaming of world dominion—a somewhat obvious concept, although extravagantly realized (with a two-tier set and film footage projected against the rear of the stage). While the singing of the leads (Kerl; Camilla Nylund as Rienzi's sister, Irene; and Kate Aldrich in the trousers part of Adriano, the nobleman who loves her) is impressive, that of the supporting cast is variable, while the choral and orchestral work (under conductor Sebastian Lang-Lessing) is solid if uninspired. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is a flawed if also notably rare mounting of an unwieldy work. Extras include a “making-of” featurette. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)