Die tote Stadt, Op. 12

• This opera, Korngold’s Op.12, was completed when Korngold was 23 years old.
• It premiered in both Cologne and Hamburg in 1920 and brought Korngold considerable fame.¹
• Die tote Stadt is based on Georges Rodenbach’s novel Bruges la morte (The Dead (city of) Bruges). The story concerns a young widower who is torn between his devotion to his dead wife Marie and his fascination with Marietta, a seductive dancer who appears to be Marie’s doppelganger. The decaying city provides both backdrop and symbolism to the story.²

“Dance Song of Pierrot” (Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen)

• “Dance Song of Pierrot” (Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen) is an aria sung by Fritz, who plays the Pierrot character in Marietta’s dance troupe. After making a toast, Marietta asks Fritz to entertain the troupe with a song. Fritz sings of yearning and memories of love, echoing the opera’s theme of being imprisoned by the past.³
• Aria text and translation

“Joy that near to be remains – Marietta’s Song” (Glück, das mir verblieb – Marietta’s Lied)

• This is Marietta’s aria from Act I. In the room that Paul has devoted to the memory of his wife Marie, he is introduced to Marietta, a dancer who bears an uncanny resemblance to Marie. She sings him a song about lost love, and he is fascinated by her.⁴
• Aria text and translation

1. Brendan G. Carroll, “Korngold, Erich Wolfgang,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed October 31, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000015390.
2. Christopher Palmer, “Tote Stadt, Die,” Grove Music Online (2002), accessed October 31, 2019,  https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-5000905004.
3. “Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen (Pierrot’s Tanzlied),” The Aria Database, accessed October 31, 2019, http://www.aria-database.com/search.php?individualAria=768.
4. “Glück, das mir verlieb (Mariettas Lied),” The Aria Database, accessed October 31, 2019, http://www.aria-database.com/search.php?sid=870b4c40902d5ccd5e69f53708373168&X=3&individualAria=844.