Oratorio in three acts

Tale from Lalla Rookh by Thomas Moore

What do we have to do to enter paradise? The Peri, a spirit from Persian mythology, is initially barred from entering since she is the daughter of a fallen angel and a mortal. She is forced to accept that neither heroic courage nor selfless love is enough to earn admittance. It is not until she shows pity that the gates of paradise open for her. Robert Schumann’s secular oratorio Paradise and the Peri is based on a literary fairy tale by Thomas Moore which mingles orientalism and the Romantic conception of salvation. The Peri’s three attempts to enter paradise inspired Schumann to write a score full of colour and drama which, in the apotheosis of the redeemed Peri, takes on characteristics bordering on the ecstatic. Like no other composer before him, Robert Schumann reflected intensively on linking life as an artist with salvation through art, and also tried to practise it in his marriage to his wife Clara. Director Christof Loy turns the oratorio into a psychological chamber piece that merges the character of the despairing Peri with the married life of the Schumanns. Schumann’s oratorio is complemented by piano compositions and Lieder by Robert and Clara Schumann and Pauline Viardot.

Over the past two and a half years, the Theater an der Wien, including its building fabric, has been thoroughly and sustainably renovated. In order to guarantee smooth interaction between the complex stage technology and all technical areas, a large number of training courses, familiarisation sessions, test runs, stress tests and safety checks are necessary. This intensive process will take several weeks and will unfortunately affect theatre operations in the first few months. This will result in the following changes to the programme:

Unfortunately, the scenic production of Robert Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri cannot take place as planned this season. All information and tickets for the concert performance here.