WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART - CONTROVERSIAL MOZART OPERA WILL BE STAGED

CONTROVERSIAL MOZART OPERA WILL BE STAGED

LATEST: A Berlin opera company's production of a WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART opera will go ahead after performances received a new security assessment from the police. IDOMENEO features the severed heads of the Prophet Muhammad, Jesus and Buddha in one scene, and was axed by the Deutsche Oper last month (SEP06) over fears it would provoke a Muslim backlash and incite violence. Islam considers any image of the prophet to be blasphemous. However, the Deutsche Oper has decided to stage the production after police advised its staff faced "no concrete danger" if performances went ahead, and promised to review security measures before each performance. A statement from the opera company said it "had begun without delay the relevant preparations for reviving the opera".