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Berlin (dpa) - Riot police cordoned off one of Berlin's three opera houses Friday for a second and final staging of Mozart's opera Idomeneo amid fears that its anti-Islam message might attract violent protest.
Three months ago a performance was cancelled, but Idomeneo resumed on December 18 without any incident other than some jeers from the audience and a tiny protest outside by a few Christians. A closing scene shows Jesus Christ, Mohammed and Buddha decapitated.
Devout German Muslims said they would not attend the opera because of the 30-second scene, which is not part of the original Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart script, but was added by director Hans Neuenfels when he revived the opera in 2003.
A Catholic magazine, Christ in der Gegenwart, said this week the "travesty" had been an "experiment" on religious feelings.
Berlin police said they mounted the biggest operation ever to protect an opera in the city, "but not as big as for a top football match."
Sniffer dogs were searching the Deutsche Oper theatre for hidden bombs and metal-detector gates were set up to ensure the formally attired audience were not carrying knives or guns.
There has never been any tangible threat to the opera house. German Chancellor Angela Merkel led outrage in September at the cancellation. Critics said at the time that theatre management had compromised the principles of free speech and freedom of the arts.
Berlin police said Thursday they had begun an internal inquiry into who leaked a confidential security analysis in September that suggested the production of Idomeneo might provoke violent protests in Islamic nations.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
