Nazi-Themed Opera Cancelled In Germany After Audience Members Erupt With Disapproval

This undated photo, taken by an SS guard, shows women prisoners lined up for a hard labor assignment at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland during World War II.
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BERLIN (AP) — A modern version of Richard Wagner’s “Tannhauser” has been canceled in Germany after the opening-night audience complained about new scenes showing Jews being executed and dying in the gas chambers.

A spokeswoman for Duesseldorf’s opera house said there would only be concert performances without theatrical staging.

Monika Doll said producer Burkhard Kosminski had refused to tone down the disputed scenes, even though the Holocaust-related parts prompted several in the audience on Saturday to seek medical attention.

Wagner remains a controversial figure in Germany because of his anti-Semitic views. Adolf Hitler was an admirer, and playing Wagner’s music is still considered a taboo in Israel.

“Tannhauser” was first performed in Dresden in 1845.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

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