It was a magnificent era! Not only back then for Duke Karl II, until the people burned down his castle, but also for Arne Stephan, right up to his final performance at the Braunschweig Staatstheater — captured in this short clip filmed from the audience: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc2czD2sytv/
The Welf ruler Karl II: caught between fits of rage and of love, he forever nibbles on precious ice cream while living in constant fear of being poisoned; he crosses the English Channel by tethered balloon and travels through Europe in the most luxurious motorhome carriage imaginable; with obsession and an investor's instinct he tends his vast collection of diamonds; he plays chess against the finest players in the world, and he loves "his" Braunschweig theatre so dearly that he summons the singers to extra rehearsals to demonstrate how "it" is done properly.
Arne Stephan knows how "it" is done properly — and seduced his audience at the Braunschweig Staatstheater into standing ovations.