WALLENBERG

Opera by Erkki-Sven Tüür

Music Director: Arvo Volmer
Conductors: Arvo Volmer, Risto Joost
Idea: Dmitri Bertman (Helikon Opera, Moscow)
Designer/Stage Director: Ene-Liis Semper (Theatre NO99)
Stage Directors: Dmitri Bertman, Neeme Kuningas
Lighting Master: Neeme Jõe
Premiere: 1 June 2007

Approx. running time 2h 15min
Sung in German with subtitles in Estonian and English, the program includes the libretto in Estonian and Russian

The DVD of opera "Wallenberg" is now on sales.
More information: Wallenberg DVD
The DVD is provided with subtitles in Estonian, English and Russian.

In order to acknowledge his services to the state of Estonia, the President of the Estonian Republic Toomas Hendrik Ilves awarded the Russian stage director Dmitri Bertman with the 4th class Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana for his staging of Tüür’s opera Wallenberg in June 2007 at the Estonian National Opera.

In 2007 the Government of the Estonian Republic decided to give the Cultural Prize of the Republic of Estonia (150 000 EEK) to composer Erkki-Sven Tüür, stage director Dmitri Bertman, conductor Arvo Volmer, stage director Neeme Kuningas and designer Ene-Liis Semper for the production of Tüür’s contemporary opera "Wallenberg" at the Estonian National Opera.

On the International Theatre Day, Dmitri Bertman was given the Annual Estonian Theatre Award in the category of music performances for a convincing staging of Wallenberg.

The place and time do not count. The subject and object are not important, media appoints the icons.
The opposing forces are equal, evil is one.

Wallenberg is the antifascist opera by the widely known Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür. The opera was commissioned by Theatre Dortmund in 2001. The contemporary opera in the fantastic vision of the world renowned stage director Dmitri Bertman and the bold artist Ene-Liis Semper, tells the story of the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved 100 000 Jews from German concentration camps.
The scandalous stagings of Dmitri Bertman have created lively debates.
"I don´t know whom of these three (Dmitri Bertman, Ene-Liis Semper, Neeme Kuningas - editor) should we first and foremost "blame" for the total success of the premiere, but the performance was perfect to the smallest detail – due to the powerful imagery, courageous staging and playful visual aesthetics, all the 19 scenes melted into one whole within the two different acts.
It is a find in the field of staging that balances on the fragile border of tackiness and utter ingeniousness and beats the Batman from the Dortmund 2001 performance.
The Wallenberg of Erkki-Sven Tüür is a complete and diverse artistic success, a contemporary theatre in all its aspects without a compromise: it is playful, provocative, has many layers, is open to interpretation, does not say the evident etc.

Alvar Loog/Newspaper Postimees /04 June 2007

Event links: http://www.opera.ee