Wagner: Rienzi (Théâtre Du Capitole, 2013, Directed by: Lavelli)

Commitment and heroism motivated by love in the face of oppression and harassment by church and state: In his third opera, Richard Wagner explores characteristic motifs with tremendous energy, culminating in the famous prayer of the Roman tribune Rienzi to the gods of his fatherland, followed by an uprising that foreshadows Wagner's own failed career as a troublemaker and revolutionary. In the elegantly minimalist stage designs by Stage Director Jorge Lavelli, Torsten Kerl brings impressive authority to the title role. The experienced Wagnerian Pinchas Steinberg conducts the orchestra and the Chœur du Capitole.