Wagner - Rienzi (Opus Arte, 2 DVDs)

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Championing love and personal heroism in the face of ecclesiastical oppression and political chicanery, Wagner’s third opera explores characteristic themes with terrific energy which culminates in the eponymous Roman tribune’s famous prayer to the gods of his fatherland, followed by a riot which prefigures the young composer’s own abortive career as a firebrand and revolutionary. Within the timeless and elegant minimalism of Jorge Lavelli’s production, Torsten Kerl brings ringing authority to the title role, supported by the experienced Wagnerian Pinchas Steinberg. Opus Arte’s key release for the Wagner BICENTENARY.

01. Richard Wagner: Rienzi