Die weiße Rose

At the time of its composition, the twelve-tone ballet music for Die weiße Rose by a German composer who had previously restricted himself almost exclusively to sacred works was astonishing – even provocative. Wolfgang Fortner’s new focus on dodecaphony and dance was the expression of a reorientation characterising his creative work after the Second World War.

The work, which is formally oriented towards the classical number ballet featuring dances such as Pavane, Musette and Sarabande, is set in the romantic but bleak surroundings of a medieval court. The young daughter of the king is entertained by a dancing dwarf from the forest on her birthday. She shows her thanks by presenting him with a white rose. Unaware of his physical shortcomings, the dwarf falls in love with the princess. When he subsequently re-encounters the beautiful girl in the hall of mirrors, he is not only forced to recognise his deformities, but also becomes aware that she and the members of court view him with pure derision.