Partly thanks to the CD, the symphonic oeuvre of Karl Amadeus Hartmann has become increasingly known in recent decades. The fact that his music always resembles someone else's (Mahler, Berg, etc.) does not seem to diminish the 'impact' on the listener. Completely unknown, however, are the five small operas on which Hartmann worked in the 1920s. It was not uncommon in Germany to write short operas
… in which current themes and modern cultural expressions were emphatically presented, often using jazz elements. Hartmann's opera project, under the umbrella title Wachsfigurenkabinett, never got off the ground. The fact that it still came to a realization sixty years later, is thanks to an initiative by Hans Werner Henze. He, and a few more fans of Hartmann's music, completed the often sketchy material. Leben und sterben des saints Teufels is about Rasputin, the controversial monk who stayed at the court of the tsar. Der Mann, der vom Tode auferstand is about a wealthy American businessman who fears for his life because he takes a radio play too literally. The story seems inspired by the panic surrounding Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds, but that incident took place some ten years later. Chaplin-Ford-Trott is about The American Way of Life, while Fuhrwahr ?! is about two drunks. Finally, Die Witwe von Ephesus is based on Petronius' Satyricon. The CD registration was done under the direction of Roger Epple (HJ) _ the controversial monk who stayed at the court of the tsar. Der Mann, der vom Tode auferstand is about a wealthy American businessman who fears for his life because he takes a radio play too literally. The story seems inspired by the panic surrounding Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds, but that incident took place some ten years later. Chaplin-Ford-Trott is about The American Way of Life, while Fuhrwahr ?! is about two drunks. Finally, Die Witwe von Ephesus is based on Petronius' Satyricon. The CD registration was done under the direction of Roger Epple (HJ) _ the controversial monk who stayed at the court of the tsar. Der Mann, der vom Tode auferstand is about a wealthy American businessman who fears for his life because he takes a radio play too literally. The story seems inspired by the panic surrounding Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds, but that incident took place some ten years later. Chaplin-Ford-Trott is about The American Way of Life, while Fuhrwahr ?! is about two drunks. Finally, Die Witwe von Ephesus is based on Petronius' Satyricon. The CD registration was done under the direction of Roger Epple (HJ) _ The story seems inspired by the panic surrounding Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds, but that incident took place some ten years later. Chaplin-Ford-Trott is about The American Way of Life, while Fuhrwahr ?! is about two drunks. Finally, Die Witwe von Ephesus is based on Petronius' Satyricon. The CD registration was done under the direction of Roger Epple (HJ) _ The story seems inspired by the panic surrounding Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds, but that incident took place some ten years later. Chaplin-Ford-Trott is about The American Way of Life, while Fuhrwahr ?! is about two drunks. Finally, Die Witwe von Ephesus is based on Petronius' Satyricon. The CD registration was done under the direction of Roger Epple (HJ) _more
