It’s Princess Donna Clara’s 18th birthday and she’s getting showered with presents from all sides, but one gift in particular, from the Turkish Sultan, stands out from the crowd: a real-life dwarf! Amidst all the splendour and beauty the misshapen man attracts her special attention, charming her with his singing and fascinating her all the more for seeming to be blissfully unaware of his physical appearance. The dwarf falls madly in love with the princess and is blind to the coquettish game that she is playing. But then he comes face-to-face with his reflection for the first time in his life. Realising the truth of his situation, he falls down dead. Alexander Zemlinsky’s THE DWARF is based on Oscar Wilde’s fairy tale “The Birthday of the Infanta” and received its world premiere in 1922. Following Zemlinsky’s death in 1942 in American exile the work quickly slipped from public awareness, not to be rediscovered until the 1970s. Since then it has been drawing crowds as a subtle, vibrant seismogram of a highly complex and psychological constellation.

Der Zwerg (The Dwarf)

Deutsche Oper Berlin

There are many ways to express solidarity. The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra represents moral support for a nation at war and material assistance for the musicians. The ensemble was assembled in 2022 at the initiative of the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Polish National Opera in Warsaw. It includes refugees forced to flee their country for safety, Ukrainian members of European orchestras, and musicians of Ukraine-based ensembles. The proceeds from the tour will be used to help struggling artists, yet the symbolic dimension of the endeavour is just as important—the sense of togetherness that music can create.

Olga Bezsmertna

Events

Past events

1 - 10 Dec, 2024

Der Zwerg (The Dwarf) · Deutsche Oper Berlin

Jul 14, 2024

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra · Polish National Opera

Future and recently performed repertoire

JOEL in The Dwarf by Zemlinsky

Deutsche Oper Berlin

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