Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow) is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss, to a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, first performed in 1919 at the Vienna State Opera. An empress of supernatural origin casts no shadow, a sign that she cannot bear children; if she does not gain one within three days, her husband will be turned to stone. Her quest among mortals forms a philosophical fable about fruitfulness and compassion.
Act I. The Empress, daughter of Keikobad, king of the spirits, lives with the Emperor without casting a shadow. A messenger announces the deadline: three days to obtain one, or the Emperor will be turned to stone. The Nurse leads the Empress into the world of men, to the house of Barak the dyer, whose wife, dissatisfied with her life, might sell her shadow.
Act II. The Nurse tempts the Dyer's Wife with the vision of a lover and a life without burdens. Barak, generous and patient, cannot understand the change in his wife. The Empress, witnessing the dyer's goodness, begins to feel remorse for the bargain. When the wife cries out that she has sold her shadow, Barak raises his hand against her for the first time; the waters flood the house and everything sinks into darkness.
Act III. In Keikobad's realm, Barak and his wife, now separated, search for one another, full of regret. The Empress faces the final trial: she may drink the water of life and take the shadow of the Dyer's Wife, but she refuses, even at the sight of the Emperor almost turned to stone. That renunciation saves everything: she receives a shadow of her own, the Emperor returns to life, and the two couples are reunited while the voices of their unborn children sing.
Hofmannsthal conceived the libretto as a symbolic tale in the manner of The Magic Flute, with two couples from opposing worlds: the imperial pair and the artisans. Strauss composed the score during the First World War, and the premiere took place on 10 October 1919 in Vienna, conducted by Franz Schalk. Because of its enormous orchestra and its staging demands, the work long remained the preserve of the great houses.
Strauss asks for a very large orchestra of unusual timbres, including celesta and glass harmonica. The orchestral interludes stand out, as do the Empress's monologue in the third act and Barak's scenes, whose warm lyricism contrasts with the world of the spirits. The voices of the unborn children and the unseen choruses create a sound world unlike any other work by Strauss.
It is a demanding work that repays the effort: a story about what it means to accept another person's life, told with orchestral means quite out of the ordinary. Every new production is an event, so difficult is it to stage. For anyone who already knows Salome or Der Rosenkavalier, it is the natural next step.
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