Paul Hindemith Sancta Susanna
The premiere in 1922 of the German composer Paul Hindemith’s Expressionism-influenced opera Sancta Susanna gave rise to an immense scandal, owing not merely to its controversial theme, with animal instinct and carnal desire even overpowering the fear of punishment, and for the story in which merciless fanatical judgments are pronounced by those expected to spread love and compassion. The 25-minute piece also proved controversial due to its highly expressive music, which prevents the audience taking a single breath throughout. The opera’s main protagonist is Susanna, a young nun whose erotic fantasies are aroused by hearing the tale of Sister Beata, who one night, when “the wind sang and flowers pounded”, stripped naked, embraced and kissed Christ on the Cross. As punishment, she was bricked up alive behind the altar. The performance will be conducted by Karsten Januschke, who has worked with the Wiener Staatsoper, the Theater an der Wien, the Los Angeles Opera and other renowned companies, as well as the Bayreuther Festspiele, and has recently debuted to acclaim at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, the Semperoper in Dresden and elsewhere. The lead roles will be portrayed by Tamara Morozová and Lucie Hilscherová. 

Alexander Zemlinsky Eine florentinische Tragödie
Eine florentinische Tragödie (A Florentine Tragedy) ranks among the most remarkable operas of the first half of the 20th century. Its world premiere, on 30 January 1917 in Stuttgart, was a resounding success. In the wake of the first performance, the critics referred to Zemlinsky’s fourth opera as a “glowing tone painting, the likes of which has not been seen since Strauss’s Salome”. The work is based on Oscar Wilde’s unfinished drama A Florentine Tragedy, of which merely the first Act (published in 1893) is available. The reason why the author failed to complete the piece was that for two years (1895–1897) he was imprisoned following his being convicted of “gross indecency” with regard to his sexual relationship with Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas. Around the time, the fragment of Wilde’s play stirred the senses not only of Alexander Zemlinsky but also other celebrated music figures, including Giacomo Puccini, Ferruccio Busoni and Sergei Prokofiev. Set in Renaissance Florence, the one-hour fresco about jealousy, depicting the thrilling story of the merchant Simone, his wife Bianca and her lover, the young Prince Guido Bardi, features a plethora of dramatic twists and turns, and a somewhat surprising denouement. 

The operas will be performed as part of the Musica non grata project in a concert version in the German original and with English surtitles.

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