About the work
Sylvesternacht is a one-act dialogue play Arthur Schnitzler wrote under the working title Falsche Feste; it appeared in February 1901 in the magazine Jugend. Its stage premiere had to wait 25 years: it did not reach the theatre until 31 December 1926, at the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna, directed by Paul Kalbeck, with music by Mischa Spoliansky and compered by Egon Friedell.
Plot
On New Year's Eve, the married Agathe and the young Emil stand alone at the window of an elegant salon, looking out over the snow-covered winter landscape. As they talk, Agathe recalls an earlier decision in her life, and the play probes the tension between illusion and disillusionment that the turn of the year exposes.
Cultural significance
The premiere was part of a New Year's Eve variety programme with music, dance and recitation at the Theater in der Josefstadt – an unusually cabaret-like setting for Schnitzler. A television film followed in 1977, starring Hanna Schygulla and Christian Berkel.