The Womaqn Without A Shadow By Richard Strauss - A Phantasmagorical Fairy Tale Opera
After the whimsical and light-hearted Ariadne Auf Naxos, Richard Strauss and librettist Hoffmannstahl came up with their strangest and most elaborate operatic project ; Die Frau Ohne Schatten,or the woman without a shadow. This is one of the most difficult operas for any one to grasp, being a strange mystical allegory, but it inspired the composer to write some of his most gorgeous and emotionally powerful music.
The opera is set in a fairy tale world ruled by the great god Keikobad, who never appears in the opera but who influences the story. In fact, Keikobad is a god of ancient Persia. The emperor, who lives in a luxurious palace above the city, has recently married a beautiful young woman he found hunting with his falcon. She is the daughter of Keikobad by a human woman. The god has decreed that if she has not born a child by one year of marriage, the emperor will turn to stone and his daughter the empress shall return to him. The shadow is her symbol of fertility, and she has yet to cast one.
The empress has a malevolant nursemaid with magical powers who is devoted to her but hates the emperor and all humans. She longs to return to Keikobad with the empress. At the beginning of the opera, a spirit messenger from Keikobad informs the nurse of the situation. The emperor loves Keikobad's daughter but is a shallow ruler devoted only to hunting and his exotic wife. The voice of the falcon warns the empress that the emperor will turn to stone if she does not aquire a shodow within three days.
The nurse and the empress resolve to descend to earth from the mystical palace and find a shadow. But they must persuade a human woman to give up her shadow and lose her fertility. The come across the humble dwelling of the dyer Barak( not Obama!) and his shrewiish young wife, who is bitterly unhappy with her lot in life and is always complaining bitterly. The two share their humble dwelling with Barak's three disabled brothers who help him with his work; one is hunchbacked, and another is one-eyed etc. Barak wants to have children desperately, but his unhappy wife has not blessed him with any children.
The empress and the nurse come across the dyer''s wife and tempt her to give up her shadow with magic visions . The nurse says tells her that if she gives up her shadow she will have riches beyond her wildest dreams and an endless supply of handsome lovers. She conjures up the image of a handsome young man. But when Barak comes back from work for a meal of fish, the spirits of the unborn children cry and beg to be allowed to be born .
In another scene,the emperor is away hunting at his hunting lodge, and suspects that something is wrong. He laments that he may have to put his wife to death for misleading him while he is off on a hunting trip. Later, in Barak's hut, the empress dreams at night of a vision of her husband turned to stone, and is terrified.
Finally, the nurse has gotten the dyer's wife to reliquish her shadow. Ominous signs; the day has grown dark, and Barak and his brothers are afraid. Finally his wife reveals that she has sold her shadow. The normally gentle Barak is enraged and swears to kill her if she is telling the truth.His brothers attempt to restrain him. But the malevolant nurse triumphantly states that"Higher powers are at play". A massive flood is conjured up and the scene ends in utter chaos. The hut is destroyed.
The final act takes place in the spirit world of Keikobad. Barak and his wife are being held in separate areas, and the two call to each other in fear. Barak consoles her and swears to rescue her and support for ever. The empress and the nurse enter Keikobad's realm. The empress is to be judged by her father, and the fate of the emperor ,Barak and his wife is to be determined.
The empress appears humbly before her all mighty father for judgement. The emperor appears before her, turned to stone. But his eyes still gaze before her, and she sees his terror. A magic fountain appears. These are the waters of life. If she drinks of them, she will have her shadow, but Barak and his wife are lost.
The empress faces an agonizing decision. But in a heart-stopping moment, she cries out- "I will not drink" ! Suddenly , the fountain disappears and the emperor returns to normal, and Barak and his wife are united. Because of her selfless refusal to deprive the dyer's wife of a shadow, Keikobad has forgiven all. The spirits of the unborn children rejoice, and Barak resolves to love his wife forever, and the emperor is freed from his terrible fate. Both couples are now free to have children !
What a strange story ! But when you hear the gorgeous music Strauss wrote for this enigmatic fairy tale, you can surrender yourself to this mystical story. The music shimmers, glows or menaces bu turns. You'll be transfixed.
The opera was premiered at the famed Vienna opera in 1919, but has never been performed too frequently because of the difficulty of the roles, the enormous orchestra required, and the difficulties in staging . But such great singers as Leonie Rsysanek, Birgit Nilsson, Christa Ludwig, and others have become famous for their portrayal of the characters, and such great Strauss conductors as Karl Boehm, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Sir georg Solti have recorded the opera. There are also two DVDs. Unfortunately, the Metropolitan opera was forced to cancel its revival of Die Frau next season, but you should not miss getting to know this strange and profoundly moving opera.