Credits:

Donald Runnicles

Description:

Zemlinskys Opera *The Dwarf*, a Reflection of His Own ThoughtsOn Princess Donna Claras birthday, a strange-looking little man arrived from Turkey. Having never seen himself in a mirror, the dwarf was unaware of his true appearance and fell in love with the princess at first sight. Seeing how people laughed at his appearance, the man thought, I can make everyone happy, and finally confessed his love to the princess. The princess pretended to be attracted to him, but in the end, she showed him a mirror and confronted him with the cruel truthIn this video, Schoenbergs Accompaniment to a Scene from a Film is adapted as the operas prologue, telling the story of a man and a woman sitting at a piano. The man is portrayed as Zemlinsky, while the other is likened to his princess, Alma Schindler (later Mrs. Mahler), creating a wonderfully effective prologue to the main opera.This video comes from the