"hough homosexually inclined and married to a Jew, Lorenz thrived in Nazi Germany.
Had Lorenz been a singer of Mozart, say, or Puccini, he and his wife would surely have ended up in Theresienstadt, the designated camp for the art elite.
But Lorenz specialized in the heroes of Wagner, especially Siegfried, whose lusty presence animates the last two operas of the “Ring” cycle. And he was one of the greatest, ever."
[...]
"Despite such dangerous escapades, Lorenz loved his wife, Lotte, and refused to abandon her, thereby enraging Goebbels, the propaganda minister, for whom mixed couples were a particular abomination. He engineered to have Lotte and her mother dragged off one morning in 1943 by the Gestapo (even with Germany doing poorly in the war, he kept to his priorities).
In the hysterical machinations that ensued, both were quickly saved by the intercession of Hermann Goering, another opera nut who presided over the Berlin Staatsoper and, in his spare time, the air force. He signed a long official letter affirming Hitler’s protection of tenor, wife and mother-in-law. We get a glimpse of the document during the program, along with photos and film snippets of Winifred Wagner, the chatelaine of Bayreuth and Hitler adorant. "
More here.
You can learn more about mixed couples in Nazi Germany in our "Classic Jewish Tour" or take a customised tour about Jews in German Music.
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