Work of the Week – Viktor Ullmann: Der Kaiser von Atlantis

By Christopher Peter
22 Dec 2025

Black-and-white portrait of composer Viktor Ullmann in front of Felix Nussbaum's painting ‘Triumph of Death’ as background

The opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis oder Die Tod-Verweigerung (The Emperor of Atlantis or The Refusal of Death) is a deeply moving testament to human creativity and resilience. On December 28, 2025, the one-act work will have its Japanese Premiere at the Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall, presented by Ensemble NOMAD.

A Timeless Plea: The Composition of Viktor Ullmann’s Opera The Emperor of Atlantis in Terezín

The origin of this work lies in one of the darkest places in European history: The opera was composed by Viktor Ullmann (1898–1944) and his librettist Peter Kien in the Terezín (Theresienstadt) concentration camp in 1943. Ullmann, a student of Arnold Schönberg, created a work of great musical density here.

Despite successful rehearsals in Terezín, the score was never publicly performed there, as the authorities recognized the thinly veiled parallel between the tyrannical Emperor Overall and the Nazi regime. Shortly thereafter, Ullmann and Kien were deported to the Auschwitz extermination camp and murdered.

The Parable Facing the Threat

Der Kaiser von Atlantis is a political parable with a strongly allegorical character. It tells the story of the tyrannical Emperor Overall, who declares war a permanent state and forbids Death himself (a character in the play). Out of outrage over human tyranny, Death refuses to perform his duty. The result is chaos: nobody can die. The Emperor realizes that life loses its meaning without an end. Only when Overall is finally willing to be the first to die, does Death return and end the horror. Musically, Ullmann combines traditional opera form with the contemporary currents of his time, including quotes from Bach and dissonant jazz.

Rediscovery and Ullmann's Legacy

Der Kaiser von Atlantis is one of the most important works of the so-called "Terezín Composers." The score was saved and premiered in Amsterdam in 1975, over thirty years after its creation. The opera is a central document in the musicological reappraisal of the persecuted and murdered composers of the 20th century. It testifies to Ullmann's unwavering belief in the power of art even under the most extreme oppression. Ullmann wrote shortly before his deportation that he had recognized his place in the musical life of the world with complete clarity.

Following the Japanese premiere by Ensemble NOMAD in Tokyo, the opera will also have an international presence in 2026: In February, the premiere at the Staatstheater Mainz (Mainz State Theatre) is scheduled, followed by performances in March at La Comédie Genf (Geneva). In April, a performance follows at the Reaktorhalle München (Munich) with students from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.