About the work
Es war einmal … (Once Upon a Time) is a fairy-tale opera in a prologue and three acts by Alexander von Zemlinsky, his second opera, with a libretto by Maximilian Singer after Holger Drachmann's Danish stage fairy tale Der var engang. Zemlinsky composed the work in 1897–99; Gustav Mahler conducted the premiere on 22 January 1900 at the Vienna Hofoper, after intervening heavily in the libretto and orchestration and demanding a new ending for the first act.
Plot
The headstrong Princess of Illyria publicly mocks the disguised Prince of Norderland, who thereupon vows to make her love him. Disguised as a beggar, he wins her heart out in nature, before the revelation of his true identity finally seals their union.
Cultural significance
The tightened version enforced by Mahler became a stage success with twelve performances and remained the only version performed until a critical new edition appeared in 2020.