About the work
Die Kluge (The Clever Woman) is a fairy-tale opera in one act by Carl Orff, premiered in Frankfurt am Main in 1943. Orff wrote the libretto himself after the Grimm fairy tale "The Peasant's Wise Daughter." The work is a prime example of Orff's unmistakable, rhythmic-archaic stage style.
Plot
A peasant finds a golden mortar and, despite his clever daughter's warning, gives it to the king—whereupon, because the matching pestle is missing, he is suspected of fraud and imprisoned. The cleverness of his daughter in solving royal riddles impresses the king so much that he takes her as his wife. But when she later interferes in a lawsuit and contradicts him, he casts her out—yet allows her to take with her what she holds dearest. With a ruse she takes the sleeping king himself and cleverly reconciles with him.
Cultural significance
Die Kluge arose in the tradition of Orff's worldwide success Carmina Burana and shares its preference for catchy, percussive rhythms, simple melody, and speech-song declamation. The action is commented on by three vagabond rogues, whose coarse jests have been read as veiled social criticism. The work is among Orff's most frequently performed stage works and is striking for its combination of folk-like fairy-tale tone and modern musical austerity.