Richard Strauss Die Frau Ohne Schatten
The Woman without a Shadow, a Fairy Tale in Three Acts
Sep 29, 2008
The German fairy tale Die Frau Ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow) in three acts was composed by Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864 – Sept 8, 1949). Libretto was written by H. von Hofmannsthal. The opera was first performed in Vienna, Volksoper, October 10, 1919. The setting is in the Empire of the Southeastern islands in legendary times.
The Woman without a Shadow is said to be the longest of the Strauss-Hofmannsthal series. There was also difficulty staging due to its symbolism which stood as a hindrance to its popularity. The opera is an allegory similar to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's famous The Magic Flute. The central subject is the spiritual development of the Empress.
Main Characters in Die Frau Ohne Schatten
- Emperor (tenor)
- Empress (high dramatic soprano)
- Nurse (dramatic mezzo soprano)
- The Spirit-Messenger (baritone)
- Guardian of the temple gates (soprano or male alto)
- Barak the dyer (bass baritone)
- Barak's wife (high dramatic soprano)
- Barak's three brothers (bass-baritone, bass and tenor)
- Chorus roles: Slave girls, beggar children, watchmen, spirits, unearthly voices, unborn children.
Plot Synopsis
Act I
Scene 1. A Roof Above the Imperial Gardens
Appearance of the Nurse and Empress. A spirit messenger from Keikobad, king of the spirits, tells the nurse that he will turn the emperor to stone in three days if by then the empress (his daughter) is still without a shadow (an allegory of motherhood.) The emperor goes hunting. When a falcon warns Keikobad's daughter of her husband's danger, she asks the nurse how to get a shadow. The nurse explains that only a mortal woman has a shadow.
Scene 2. In Barak's Hut
Barak's three brothers are quarreling and his wife wants him to get rid of them. The patient and caring Barak doesn't want to do it. He refuses and instead, asks his wife when she will have children. At this point, the nurse and empress appear, offering to buy the shadow of Barak's wife.
Act II
Scenes 1. In Barak's Hut
Barak goes out. The nurse and empress pose as poor relations of the dyer's wife and produces a phantom, a potential lover for the dyer's wife. Barak returns with his brothers carrying great meal.
Scene 2. The Emperor's Imperial Falcon House in a Lonely Part of the Woods
The falcon leads the emperor to a house in the woods. Seeing his wife, the emperor realizes she has been among mortals. Unwilling to kill her, he flees in despair.
Scene 3. Barak's Hut
The nurse drugs Barak and brings back the would-be lover phantom but the dyer's wife rejects him and wakes her husband.
Scene 4. The Empress's Bedroom in the Falcon House
She is restless and feels guilty thinking og Barak's torment. She's also in despair that her husband is about to be turned into a stone and she can't do anything about it.
Scene 5. Barak's House
The Empress is resolved to stay on earth and thankful for having found a man like Barak. When his wife says she has sold her shadow, she actually hasn't gone through the actual transaction. But in Barak's rage, he tries to kill his wife. The earth opens up, swallowing the couple.
Act III
Scene 1. An Underground Vault Divided by a Wall.
Barak and his wife repent and long for each other. A staircase appears and a voice tells them they are free to go.
Scene 2. A Rocky Terrace Over a River
The empress hears Keikobad calling and rejects the nurse's advice to flee. The messenger sends the nurse away.
Scene 3. A Hall Like a Temple
The empress is offered the wife's shadow, but refuses. She tries to give her own life to save her husband's, proving that she has learned the meaning of self-sacrifice and to be human. The emperor is released.
Scene 4. A Beautiful Landscape
Barak and his wife are reunited. A chorus of unborn children greet them with thanksgiving and joy.
Sources:
Martin, Nicholas Ivor. The Da Capo Opera Manual. New York: Da Capo Press, 1997
Morley, Sir Alexander F. Harrap Opera Guide. London: Harrap, 1970
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