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BERLIN, Sep 26, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Germany's Deutsche Oper opera house has canceled this year's production of Mozart's "Idomeneo" over concerns that the opera may upset Muslims.
The German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported the Berlin opera house canceled the upcoming show from producer Hans Neuenfels due to certain provocative scenes that police said could potentially upset Muslim viewers.
"We have advised that a performance could result in disturbances," Bernhard Schodrowski, a Berlin police spokesman, said.
The ultimate decision to cancel the four performances of the Mozart work came from the Deutsche Oper and its decision has already been criticized by both Neuenfels and German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble.
While Neuenfels has openly protested the move to opera house officials, Schauble equated the theater's decision to an "act of prostration to the terrorists."
Deutsche Welle said that the opera house will fill the now vacant schedule spots with performances of "The Marriage of Figaro" and "La Traviata."
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
