About the work
Musical comedy in six scenes for narrator, soloists and orchestra, Richard Strauss's last work for the stage. Commissioned by the Benedictine Abbey of Ettal for its grammar school, Strauss composed it in 1947–1949 to a libretto by Hans Adler drawing on an episode from Christoph Martin Wieland's satire „Die Abderiten“; the score remained unfinished at Strauss's death in 1949 and was completed and orchestrated by Karl Haussner.
Plot
In the ancient town of Abdera, a dentist and a donkey-driver take their dispute to court: the dentist rented the donkey to rest in its shadow, but the driver insists he rented out only the animal, not its shadow. While the citizens get lost in an endless trial, the neglected donkey dies.
Cultural significance
The premiere did not take place until 15 years after Strauss's death, on 7 June 1964 at Ettal Abbey, for whose pupils the work had originally been intended. As a commission for a school, it has remained largely confined to youth and school-opera stages.