About the work
An opera in two acts by Walter Braunfels after Aristophanes' comedy "The Birds", with a libretto by the composer. Braunfels began the work in 1913 and completed the score during the First World War; Bruno Walter conducted the premiere on 30 November 1920 at the National Theatre Munich.
Plot
Two disillusioned humans seek a better life among the birds and persuade them, led by the Hoopoe as king, to found their own city in the clouds and rise up against the gods. The plan fails: Zeus destroys the city with a storm, and the birds submit again to divine order, while one of the two men, moved by the Nightingale's song, remains behind in the bird world.
Cultural significance
The premiere was a major success for Braunfels: Munich alone saw more than fifty performances within two years, followed by further productions in Berlin, Vienna and Cologne (conducted by Otto Klemperer). The work fell into neglect after the Second World War and only returned to the stage from the 1970s onward.