This opera doesn't get that much attention these days, but it was actually very popular in its time. I want to draw your attention this bit from the Medici page: "after Die feen and Das Liebesverbot, Rienzi is the composer's first opera." You have to admit, that's a really great point: if you don't count his first and second operas, his third is indeed his first. Profound.
It was also--what a fun story this is--allegedly Hitler's initial inspiration. "At that hour it all began," he supposedly said, when reminded in 1939 of first having seen it in 1906. One might well be skeptical of that--it seems awfully historically pat--but it IS documented that he was a big fan, and in fact owned the original manuscript, which was lost after the war. Welp.
It's based on a novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who I know is metonymous with bad writing, but I dunno. I can't say I've ever read him, but I doubt most people even know why they're supposed to think "it was a dark and stormy night" is such a horrible line. I guess just because "dark night" is considered redundant? Maybe he's bad, but I feel like most people don't really have any clear idea of his relative talent; they just want to point and feel superior like the other cool kids. Anyway.
It's about an Italian politician in the fourteenth century who gains power by the popular acclaim of the people in spite of being hated by the corrupt nobles. He also has a sister Irene with whom a guy named Adriano, the son of one of said nobles (and also the only trouser role in Wagner) is in love. Rienzi shows them mercy when they plot to kill him, but then they attack him again, so he murders the shit out of them, to Adriano's dismay. He tries to get Irene to leave with him but she won't. The people, pissed off, set the building they're in on fire and kill them. I mean, you can sort of see what Hitler would've seen to like here. It's easy to see how he would've imagined himself a successor to the title character.
Apparently the original version of this is actually Wagner's longest opera, pushing six hours. However, bowing to market forces (out-of-character to say the least), he allowed it to be cut for performances, as it generally is nowadays. I don't know if the full version is ever performed--you'd think so, given what maniacs Wagnerians tend to be--but the version I saw was only three, which seems more reasonable.
Wagner was trying to imitate French grand opera here--albeit in German, making it unique in my experience. Naturally, he disavowed it later in his life, but it's really pretty good, certainly musically--definitely better than his leaden effort at comedy Das Liebesverbot. The drama is just unbearably intense in places.
And yet, I can't claim to have thought much about the story. None of the characters came across as notably appealing. Rienzi really does seem like a proto-fascist figure, all about renewal through the popular acclaim of himself as a Strong Leader. Fuck 'im, I say, and fuck all fascists, proto or otherwise. Still, I have to admit, part of the problem may be the production, which I think is not good. It tries to be...political, in a very inchoate way, which seems like a bad idea for an opera with the history of this one. The overture is interspersed with decontexualized footage of protests and political violence, and while the sets are sparse, the weird costumes and facepaint seem meant to suggest real-world parallels that I can't exactly put my finger on. The cast is largely uncharismatic and doesn't make much impression, though that may possibly be the libretto. Who can say?
Now I've seen every Wagner opera except Die Feen, which is only available in a heavily-cut version "adapted for children." If the full version were available somewhere, sure I'd see it for completeness's sake, why not, but I don't necessarily care enough that I'm gonna watch the Kidz Bop version.
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