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Christoph Waltz reportedly to make opera directorial debut

Christoph Waltz in Beverly Hills in 2012.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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It looks like Christoph Waltz, who won his second Academy Award in February for “Django Unchained,” will be taking a career detour into the world of opera later this year.

The Austrian-born actor is reportedly set to make his opera directorial debut with a new production of “Der Rosenkavalier” by Richard Strauss.

Waltz recently told the German-language newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that he will helm the production at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp, Belgium. The debut is scheduled for Dec. 15, according to the newspaper.

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The new staging is to star Christiane Karg, Maria Bengtsson, Stella Doufexis and Albert Pesendorfer. The production is expected to travel to London’s Royal Opera House in 2016, with a cast that will include Renee Fleming.

A longtime opera fan, Waltz has in recent years been seen in the audience at Los Angeles Opera performances, including the company’s highly touted production of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle.

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The actor told the German newspaper that his foray into opera will be “an experiment.”

In the category of Austrian-born, Oscar-winning actors to try their hands at directing opera, Waltz won’t be a first. Maximilian Schell has directed a number of opera productions around the world, including stagings of “Lohengrin” and “Rosenkavalier” for L.A. Opera.

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