The opera was originally conceived as a 30-minute divertissement to be performed at the end of Hofmannsthal's adaptation of Molière's play Le Bourgeois gentilhomme. Besides the opera, Strauss provided incidental music to be performed during the play.[2] In the end, the opera occupied ninety minutes, and the performance of play plus opera occupied over six hours.[3] It was first performed at the Hoftheater Stuttgart on 25 October 1912, directed by Max Reinhardt.[2] The combination of the play and opera proved to be unsatisfactory to the audience: those who had come to hear the opera resented having to wait until the play finished.[2]
Musical direction: Matthew Toogood Director:
Marcin Lakomicki
Choreography: Niall Fallon Stage Design: Simone Serlenga Video Design: Simone Serlenga, Francisca Armando, Camilla Tassi Costumes: Saghar Bazargan, You-Jin Seo Lighting: Steffen Hoppe Photos: Detlef Kurth
