Die Frau ohne Schatten
Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), Op. 65, is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was written between 1911 and either 1915 or 1917. When it premiered at the Vienna State Opera on 10 October 1919, critics and audiences were unenthusiastic. Many cited problems with Hofmannsthal's complicated and heavily symbolic libretto.[1] However, it is now a standard part of the operatic repertoire.
Die Frau ohne Schatten
The opulent 164 piece instrumentation includes:
Historical sources of the libretto[edit]
For the name of the opera, see The Woman Who Had No Shadow.
Hofmannsthal was inspired by the fairy tale by Wilhelm Hauff, "The Cold Heart".[4]
Keikobad is a variant spelling of the name of the Sasanian king Kovad and the mythical Iranian king Kai Kobad from the Kayanian dynasty in the Shahnameh (book of kings) by Ferdowsi. There are other references to Iranian mythology in the story, such as the trial of fire and the fountain of life, which are present in Shahnameh.
