A German production of a Wagner opera has been cancelled due to extreme Nazi content, the BBC reports.
After the play's producer, German theater director and actor Burkhard C Kosminski, allegedly refused to change the scenes staged at a Holocaust camp, the show was cancelled. The Rheinoper opera house, based in Dusseldorf, said audience members who had viewed earlier productions of the opera, sought medical attention following the viewings, the BBC says.
Protests ensued over the graphic content and depiction of events in the adaptation. Head of Dusseldorf's Jewish community Michael Szentei-Heise referred to the production as "tasteless and not legitimate," the BBC says. He told the Associated Press "Members of the audience booed and banged the doors when they left the opera house in protest".
The opera house responded with unsuccessful pleas to Kosminski to alter the content.
"After considering all the arguments, we have come to the conclusion that we cannot justify such an extreme impact of our artistic work," an issued statement from The Rheinoper said.
"With paramount concern, we note that some scenes (especially the shooting scene) were depicted very realistically," the statement continued, causing "psychological and physical stress" to some audience members," the statement continued.
The statement also addressed the conversations allegedly had with Kosminski regarding proposed production changes."He refused to do this for artistic reasons," the statement said.
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, theater director and conductor in the 1800's, most famous for his operas. His controversial works have been the source of controversy among artistic analysts in recent decades, especially concerning antisemitic implications.
© 2025 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
