1874–1929, Austrian

Hofmannsthal was a precocious talent. His first published poem appeared when he was just 16 and he rapidly made the acquaintance of some of the leading literary figures of the day. Most important was a paternalistic relationship with the German poet Stefan George (1868–1933). Hofmannsthal’s youthful ability led to a creative crisis in his mid-twenties from which he emerged with a renewed belief in the value of drama. He believed in the reformatory power of writing; this principle lay behind his foundation of the Salzburg Festival. It was with his long relationship with Richard Strauss that Hofmannsthal’s contribution to opera was made. An initial approach made by the writer with a scenario for a ballet was rejected, but Strauss suggested a few years later that Hofmannsthal make a libretto from his adaptation of Sophocles’ Electra. The partnership produced Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Die ägyptische Helena and Arabella. Hofmannsthal also collaborated with Edgard Varèse (1885–1965) on Oedipus und die Sphinx (1909–13).

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Personalities | Engelbert Humperdinck | Turn of the Century | Opera