About the work
Das Wunder der Heliane is a three-act opera by Erich Wolfgang Korngold to a libretto by Hans Müller-Einigen, based on the mystery play Die Heilige by the Austrian writer Hans Kaltneker. Egon Pollak conducted the premiere on 7 October 1927 at the Hamburg State Opera.
Plot
A ruler whose wife Heliane withholds her love has a stranger sentenced to death, a man regarded throughout the land as a bringer of happiness. On the night before his execution, Heliane visits him in his cell; when the ruler learns of it, he accuses her of adultery. Before the court, Heliane openly declares her love and brings the dead stranger back to life through a miracle, and the two ascend to heaven together.
Cultural significance
Well received at first, the opera soon fell out of favour as critics judged it anachronistic, and the Nazi regime later banned performances of Korngold's work because of his Jewish ancestry. Das Wunder der Heliane did not return to the stage until 1970, and a 2018 production at the Deutsche Oper Berlin was hailed as one of the year's major rediscoveries.