Libretto by Georg C. Klaren
Translated by Viktor Jugovic after ‘The Birthday of the Infanta’ by Oscar Wilde

Music by Alexander Zemlinsky

Sung in English

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Zemlinky’s opera was a reflection of the end of his relationship with Alma Mahler and the identification he felt with the drama’s main character.
A sultan has sent a dwarf as a present to the Spanish Infanta Donna Clara on her birthday. The dwarf is unaware of his unusual appearance and becomes infatuated with the Infanta.

She toys with him and gives him a white rose as a present. In great agitation, he tries to obtain a kiss from the Infanta, but she spurns him and calls him a monster. His heart broken, he dies clutching the white rose as the Infanta rejoins the party.