Des Simplicius Simplicissimus Jugend

Karl Amadeus Hartmann’s opera Simplicius Simplicissimus is based on the novel Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus Teutsch written in 1668/1669 by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen. The novel depicts the horrific events of the Thirty Years’ War through the eyes of a naive child (Simplicius Simplicissimus).

On the strength of his experiences during the First World War, Hartmann recognised the reality of this plot in the 1930s. The composer sees the young Simplicius as the unheroic individual who carries the potential of a future world in his mind. This pure fool lives in a brutal world marked by war. Hartmann nevertheless envisages a good ending: ‘If a mirror is held up to the world so that it can recognise its hideous face, it will perhaps once more take a turn for the better. Despite all political storm clouds, I believe in a better future: this is what should be expressed by the final apotheosis in my Simplicius.’ (Hartmann)