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Markus Stenz's “Impassioned” Musical Leadership Elevates Der Protagonist in Venice

Jun. 30, 2025

Weill’s first opera, Der Protagonist, was a sensation at its Dresden premiere in 1926, a signal to the German musical world that a major talent had appeared on the scene. Although it has tended to be lost in the glare of the composer’s more well-known masterpieces, it still shows its merits whenever it is produced. Conductor Markus Stenz has proven his special affinity for Weill’s works on many occasions in the past, starting with the famous 1992 Ruth Berghaus production of Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny in Stuttgart. With the new production recently premiered in the Malibran Theater at La Fenice in Venice, Der Protagonist joins the list of Weill works benefiting from his touch. Giornale della musica describes his “impassioned conducting, which brings out with exuberance the musical variety in Weill’s score.” Reporting on the excellence of the La Fenice instrumentalists, GBOpera credits Stenz with “loving care” in “highlighting the dramatic tension of the music along with Weill’s skillful vocal writing.” Leading the cast are Matthias Koziorowski as The Protagonist and Martina Welschenbach, “emotionally intense and vocally soaring,” as The Sister.

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