Arthur Schnitzler
"DAS WEITE LAND"
The scene of action of the tragicomedy
is the soul
“It suggests a philosophy that the moment is nothing other than the
melancholy point between desiring and remem- bering. And that passionate
action is nothing, only a mask, behind which man remains lonely.”
(Robert Musil)
The scene of action of the tragicomedy is in actual fact the soul – even though the action takes place mainly in Baden near Vienna: in the villa of a rich industrialist, in the cynical, cheerful, weary and painful roundelay of infidelities and conspiratorial stories of the higher society and artistic circles. The undiscovered country is the unfathomable, deeply fur- rowed inner landscape of the persons in the action, primarily of the principle character Friedrich Hofreiter. In 1911 when Schnitzler’s play appeared and was simultaneously pre- miered in Berlin, Breslaw, Bochum, Hamburg, Hannover, Leipzig, Munich, Prague and Vienna it was a picture of its time, an image of society not long before the outbreak of the first world war.
Steadfast fidelity as a burden
The play begins with a funeral. The pianist Korsakov has committed suicide and is buried in Vienna. The funeral guests are attracted more by curiosity than for reasons of piety because it is speculated that Korsakov, besides being a good friend of Hofreiter, had also fallen in love with his wife. This unrequited love drove him to kill himself. Hofreiter’s wife Genia is the model of a faithful wife. Whereas her husband lives life to the full and as a real Casanova never misses an opportunity for a flirtatious affair, she holds on steadfastly to marital fidelity. Genia does not attend Korsakov’s funeral and Hofreiter, who also suspects his wife of having been Korsakov’s lover, questions her immediately on his return to Baden. Hofreiter is taken aback when he realises that Genia had never given herself to Korsakov and has remained faithful to her husband. For Hofreiter every flirt is an act of self-assertion, every amorous adventure a new illusion of freedom. He feels humiliated by the steadfast fidelity of his wife and what he senses to be her superiority.
Deception as desire
Hofreiter has just finished his affair with the wife of the banker Natter and he takes advantage of the situation and the agitation about Korsakov’s suicide as an excuse to go hiking in the mountains with the young Erna Wahl so as to tank up on fresh air and fresh desire. The hectic atmosphere of a hotel, where conventional elements of society as well as some more idiosyncratic characters meet, is the scene of Hofreiter’s latest adventure. Genia remains behind in Baden alone, resolving to “take her revenge” on her husband and yields to the advances of the young marine lieutenant Otto von Aigner. Hofreiter returns expectedly after spending only one night with Erna and immediately finds out about his wife Genia’s liaison. Her surprising behaviour brings Hofreiter closer to his wife rather than creating a distance between them. Nevertheless he challenges his young rival to a duel. A game of tennis and a trivial occasion as a pretext become the trigger for a fatal decision. Hofreiter shoots Otto. Whereas jealousy or a husband’s wounded honour should actually be the motive, Hofreiter – the incorrigible gambler in the social “roulette” – has another reason for doing away with the young lieutenant: he cannot bear Otto’s youth. A man with an “impudent, young gaze” makes Hofreiter only too aware that he is lonely and growing old after a wasted life, and that is too difficult for the industrialist to bear. Hofreiter begrudges Otto his future, not his wife.
Kerstin Unseld
Monika Rittershaus, Backstage
Arthur Schnitzler
Das weite Land
Stage director Andrea Breth
Stage design Erich Wonder
Costumes Susanne Raschig
Music Elena Chernin
Lighting design Alexander Koppelmann
Dramaturgy Wolfgang Wiens
Friedrich Hofreiter Sven-Eric Bechtolf
Genia Corinna Kirchhoff
Anna Meinhold-Aigner Angela Schmid
Otto Johannes Zirner
Doktor von Aigner Gerd Böckmann
Frau Wahl Elisabeth Orth
Gustav Denis Petkovic
Erna Birgit Minichmayer
Natter Michael König
Adele Andrea Clausen
Doktor Franz Mauer Werner Wölbern
Demeter Stanzides Franz J. Csencsits
Paul Kreindl Cornelius Obonya
Marie Swetlana Schönfeld
Albertus Rhon Franz Josef Steffens
Serknitz Reinhard Firchow
Dr. Meyer Rainer Laupichler
Rosenstock Wolfgang Gasser
New production: 15 August 2002
16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24,
25, 26, 27 August 2002
Performances begin at 7 p.m.
Landestheater
Tickets are available from
the Festival Ticket Office: 25, 26 and
27 August in the price categories:
€ 2 15, € 25, € 40, € 50, € 75, € 95 and
€ 120.
Telephone: 0043 662 8045-500
Telefax: 0043 662 8045-555
E-mail: info@salzburgfestival.at