Opera

Die Frau ohne Schatten / The Woman without a Shadow

Richard Strauss

Inspired by oriental fairy tales and with an admiring glance to Mozart’s »The Magic Flute«, Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal created their fourth joint opera, »Die Frau ohne Schatten« (The Woman without a Shadow), in 1919. This massive work is as enigmatic as it is fascinating, rich in symbolism and with a powerful score.

Reflecting events at the time of its creation, in particular the devastating experiences of the First World War and the emerging insights of psychoanalysis, the libretto poses the vital question of how, in the face of millions of deaths and emotional paralysis, we can once again find love and our sense of humanity. 

And so we follow the Empress, the fairy daughter of the spirit king Keikobad, who was captured by the Emperor when in the form of a gazelle and taken as his wife. She is searching for her shadow, which will bring her fertility and the chance of becoming human. When she realises that this will entail her stealing the shadow of the wife of Barak the Dyer and thereby destroy their happy marriage, she gives up – at the risk of causing her husband, the Emperor, to be turned to stone.

But it is precisely this insight into the power of human love and its capacity for change that enables the Empress to become fully human and bring the fairy tale to a happy conclusion.

Opera in three acts
Text by Hugo von Hofmannsthal

Performed in German with German and English supertitles

Premiere
23. March 2024,

No further performances in the current season.

Please note: Some biographies reflect the information available at the time of the respective premiere date and are not necessarily updated on an ongoing basis.

Premiere cast

Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden
 Kinderchor der Semperoper Dresden
 Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden

Explore

Making-of

The Woman without a Shadow – Making-of (4)

Sopranos Camilla Nylund and Evelyn Herlitzius shine as the Empress and the Nurse in The Woman without a Shadow under the musical direction of Christian Thielemann. In this making-of, they provide further exciting insights into Strauss' fairytale-like work.
Stücktrailer

The Woman without a Shadow

Inspired by oriental fairy tales and with an admiring glance to Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal created their fourth joint opera, Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), in 1919. This massive work is as enigmatic as it is fascinating, rich in symbolism and with a powerful score. Reflecting events at the time of its creation, in particular the devastating experiences of the First World War and the emerging insights of psychoanalysis, the libretto poses the vital question of how, in the face of millions of deaths and emotional paralysis, we can once again find love and our sense of humanity.
Making-of

»The Woman without a Shadow« – Making-of (3)

With its five main roles and large orchestral cast, the performance of Richard Strauss' seventh opera presents the performers with special artistic challenges. The staging of the wondrous opera plot is just as demanding as the musical interpretation of the work. Find out more in our making-of!
Making-of

»The Woman without a Shadow« – Making-of (2)

Richard Strauss' masterpiece The Woman without a Shadow once again brings together an ensemble of outstanding singers under the musical direction of Christian Thielemann. Camilla Nylund and Evelyn Herlitzius already appeared together on the stages of the Vienna State Opera as the Kaiserin and the Nurse under his baton in 2019. Now the two sopranos are back on our opera stage in the same roles for director David Bösch's new production. Our making-of reveals more.
Making-of

»The Woman without a Shadow« – Making-of (1)

After Korngold's Die tote Stadt (2017) and Verdi's Nabucco (2019), the new production of Strauss' The Woman without a Shadow is the third production that German theatre and opera director David Bösch has brought to the Semperoper stage together with his stage designer Patrick Bannwart. In our making-of, you can find out how Bannwart translates this wondrous opera story into images.
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