Rienzi can be noted that "Rienzi" prefigures themes (brother/sister relationships, social order and revolution) to which Wagner was often to return in his later works. The success of "Rienzi" – his first real success of any kind – was crucial in Wagner's career, launching him as a composer to be reckoned with. It was followed, within months, by his appointment as Kapellmeister at the Dresden Opera (February 1843), which also gave him considerable prestige. It also received critical acclaim elsewhere in Europe. The young Eduard Hanslick, later to be one of Wagner's foremost critical adversaries, wrote in 1846 in Vienna: I
Overture in C, "In Memoriam" alone can bring." The overture enjoyed considerable popularity in the composer's own lifetime, but it was rarely heard in the 20th century. Only two recordings were made before 1992. Since that time, however, the piece has been recorded several more times. The composition is structured as a single multi-tempo movement marked "Andante religioso - Allegro molto" and lasts around eleven to twelve minutes in performance. The critic Andrew Lamb writes that, although the composer described the overture as an outpouring of grief, The piece's dark, slow texture has its main theme in the major key, as seen here in its