Wallenberg

Erkki-Sven Tüür's opera Wallenberg returns to the stage of Estonian National Opera in Dmitri Bertman and Ene-Liis Semper's striking production. It tells the story of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved 100,000 Jews from German concentration camps.

Commissioned and first seen at Theatre Dortmund in 2001 (hence the German text), Tüür's first opera received its first performance in his Estonian homeland at Tallinn's Estonian National Opera on 1 June 2007, where it was subsequently filmed for DVD.

Based in Budapest during the war, diplomat Raoul Wallenberg - from the famous Swedish dynasty of bankers and industrialists - managed to save thousands of Jews from the Nazi holocaust. Tragedy ensued though, as Wallenberg was captured by the Russians when they arrived in Hungary and mystery has surrounded Wallenberg's fate. Ultimately a Russian investigation in 1991 concluded he had been executed in the Gulag in 1947.

The Estonia National Opera production was notable for the fact that its director, Russian Dmitri Bertman was restricted to travel to Tallinn for rehearsals, as Estonians had just removed the Soviet war memorial from their capital city. Together with assistant director Neeme Kuningas and the production's designer Ene-Liis Semper, Bertman continued to direct remotely via the internet, although he was allowed by the Russian authorities to attend the première on 1 June 2007.

Bringing a universal, rather than specifically Nazi, interpretation, Bertman has created a vibrant, colourful satire on the nature of oppression. Also notable is Tüür's score, to a libretto by Lutz Hübner, direct and avant-garde in his typical style. There are also three Wallenbergs in the cast - the historical diplomat, an Elvis-like figure that taunts his alter-ego in the Gulag and, finally, a loin-clothed yogi.