About the work
Der Besuch der alten Dame is an opera in three acts by Gottfried von Einem, based on a libretto that Friedrich Dürrenmatt wrote himself from his 1956 play of the same name. It premiered on 23 May 1971 at the Vienna State Opera, with Christa Ludwig and Eberhard Waechter in the leading roles under conductor Horst Stein.
Plot
The billionairess Claire Zachanassian returns after forty-five years to her impoverished home town of Güllen and offers the townspeople a vast sum if they kill Alfred Ill, the former lover who once abandoned her. The town first refuses in horror, but as it runs up debt buying goods on credit, it eventually gives in to the offer.
Cultural significance
The opera carries Dürrenmatt's bitter critique of venality and self-righteousness directly onto the stage; critics particularly praised the timeless validity of the parable. Alongside Dantons Tod, it ranks among Einem's most widely performed works internationally.