Die Soldaten

Bernd Alois Zimmermann developed the ambitious plan of producing a manifesto for ‘Totales Theater’. His work on this magnum opus extended over a period of almost ten years, and he only discovered a suitable subject in Die Soldaten after a three-year search. The cancellation of the planned first performance in 1960 was a major setback for the composer; he subsequently interrupted work on the opera and compiled a vocal symphony under the same name to permit at least part of the work to be presented in concert performance. The opera itself, which was initially rejected as being ‘unperformable’, finally reached the stage five years later at Cologne Opera.
Zimmermann’s libretto for his two-hour operatic vision of Lenz’s stage play depicts Marie’s path towards utter degradation. He was willing to compress and condense Lenz’s work but considered the dramatic structure to be so ideal that he was reluctant to undertake any alterations. He did however take certain liberties with the chronology and developed various plot strands in parallel with one another, creating the notorious ‘sphericity of time’ in the process.
Zimmermann’s epoch-making masterpiece has lost none of its topicality over the past 50 years. Admittedly, the enormous forces required for the work’s performance initially presented significant difficulties; however, the twenty productions which have to date succeeded in meeting Zimmermann’s demands (not to mention numerous additional concert and guest performances) have proved that this work is indeed a major music theatre experience.