About the work
One-act opera (a „Singgedicht“) by Richard Strauss to a libretto by Ernst von Wolzogen after a Dutch folk tale, premiered on 21 November 1901 at the Royal Opera House Dresden under Ernst von Schuch. Wolzogen relocated the story to medieval Munich, unmistakably needling the city's rejection of Wagner and of the young Strauss himself.
Plot
At the midsummer bonfire, the mayor's daughter Diemut publicly humiliates the sorcerer's apprentice Kunrad by having him hoisted in a basket for all to see. In retaliation, Kunrad casts a spell extinguishing every fire in the city. Only when Diemut gives herself to him does new light – and with it Munich's fires – flare up again.
Cultural significance
The Dresden premiere was a considerable success, and Gustav Mahler brought the work to the Vienna Court Opera just two months later. With its frank erotic final scene and its mockery of Munich, „Feuersnot“ is seen as Strauss's deliberate settling of scores with his conservative home town.