Ullmann's "The Emperor of Atlantis," Orff's "The Clever One" in the Hull of the Queen Mary

Long Beach Opera pairs Viktor Ullmann's The Emperor of Atlantis (Der Kaiser von Atlantis) and Carl Orff's The Clever One (Die Kluge) in new productions this month directed and conducted by Andreas Mitisek. Though created under very different political circumstances, both works were composed in Germany in 1943 and stand as allegories of the resistance to power and the will of the oppressed. Ullmann's satirical play was written in the Terezin concentration camp while Orff composed The Clever One in Frankfurt. Long Beach Opera's pairing emphasizes the political struggle inherent in these two pieces which, despite the circumstances in which they were written, both remain markedly comical and effortlessly satirical.

Long Beach Opera presents this double bill in the hull of the Queen Mary ocean liner on Friday, May 8 at 8PM and Sunday, May 17 at 12PM and 4PM.

Go to www.longbeachopera.org for more information on the production.

Visit Carl Orff's profile here and Viktor Ullmann's here.

Viktor Ullmann
The Emperor of Atlantis (1943)
play in one act
libretto (Ger) by Peter Kien
English translation by Sonja Lyndon
for soprano, alto/mezzo-soprano, 2 tenors, baritone, 2 bass
1(pic.).1.1.asax.0–0.1.0.0-2perc–tenor-banjo(gtr).cemb.(pno).harm–str(1.1.1.1.1)
60'

Carl Orff
The Clever One (1943)
libretto by the composer
for soprano, 2 tenors, 3 baritones, 3 bass
3(3pic).3(3ca).3(also in A, C, Ebcl, bcl).2.cbsn–4.3.3.1–timp.4perc–harp.cel.pno–str
on stage: 3 trumpets, percussion, glock, organ
90'