I was looking through the paper material of a large grouping that was received by our local shop when I came across these two items: the program and entry pass for the production of the opera "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" by Richard Wagner that was performed on the September 5, 1938, the first day of the RPT 1938. What makes the two items extraordinary is that the production was a special one in honor of the attendance by Adolf Hitler. It is all explained in the text. The production started at 5:30pm but usually lasted four and a half hours. Reading the program is a fascinating glimpse into the cultural life in Nazi Germany. You really don't need to understand German text. Just Google the first four names you find after Hitler.
Wilhelm Fürtwangler, the most prestigious conductor in Nazi Germany and the most ideologically tortured. Johannes Maurach was the longtime Nürnberg Opera artistic director who eventually fell out of favor with Gauleiter Streicher. Set and costumes by Benno v. Arent, an ardent Nazi, member of the party and later the SS, designer of the Nazi Diplomatic Corps uniforms as well as some Allach pieces. And finally, the baritone star Rudolf Brockelmann, a WWI veteran whose enjoyed immense success and popularity in Nazi Germany, becoming a party member and a favorite of Hitler, all of which dampened his post war career.
Wilhelm Fürtwangler, the most prestigious conductor in Nazi Germany and the most ideologically tortured. Johannes Maurach was the longtime Nürnberg Opera artistic director who eventually fell out of favor with Gauleiter Streicher. Set and costumes by Benno v. Arent, an ardent Nazi, member of the party and later the SS, designer of the Nazi Diplomatic Corps uniforms as well as some Allach pieces. And finally, the baritone star Rudolf Brockelmann, a WWI veteran whose enjoyed immense success and popularity in Nazi Germany, becoming a party member and a favorite of Hitler, all of which dampened his post war career.
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