fairy tales

Orff has been fascinated by legends and fairy tales from around the world since childhood. He sets two fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm collection and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream to music. In all three works, the composer experiments with new sounds and takes important steps towards developing his own theatrical style.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream repeatedly occupied Carl Orff's thoughts. In the 1930s, he accepted a commission from the Frankfurt Opera to compose a new score to replace Mendelssohn's music for the play.
Composed: 1917–1939
Revised: 1944, 1952, 1964
Premiere: 14 October 1939 in Frankfurt

Der Mond

Carl Orff expands on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of four boys who steal the moon, take it back to their homeland and, after their death, take it with them to the underworld.
Composed: 1936–1938
Revised: 1970
Premiere: 5 February 1939 in Munich

Die Kluge

Carl Orff supplements Grimm's fairy tale of the clever farmer's daughter with proverbs and riddles.
Composed: 1936–1942
Premiere: 20 February 1943 in Frankfurt am Main