Der Geburtstag der Infantin
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Der Geburtstag der Infantin is a “dance-pantomime” in one act by Austrian composer Franz Schreker, based on the Oscar Wilde novella The Birthday of the Infanta.
The work was commissioned by the sisters Elsa and Grete Wiesenthal, two former apprentice dancers from the Vienna Court Opera.[1] The work was composed in just ten days and first performed in Vienna on 27 June 1908 as part of the ‘Kunstschau’ organised by the group of artists around Gustav Klimt.[1] It brought Schreker widespread recognition and led to the offer of a publishing contract with Universal Edition.[2] The composer revised the score in 1910, adding an extra scene near the beginning (‘Die Infantin’) and rewriting the final scene.[2]
