Lazarus at Theater an der Wien

In 1820, Franz Schubert turned an oratorio Libretto by August Hermann Niemeyer built in 1778
to: Lazarus or the celebration of the resurrection. Called by the librettists "Religious drama"
Work has survived only as a fragment. The first act is completely, the second act breaks off in the middle of an aria. The
rest of the manuscripts has been lost; What has even composed Schubert, is uncertain. Until 1863, 35 years after
the fragment in Vienna premiered his death. However, the Lazarus is one of the most moving works is
the vocal music and occupies a special position in the OEuvre Schubert.

The resurrection of Lazarus is preserved only in the Gospel of John, where you the passion of the Christ of Christ
goes ahead. Together with his sisters Mary and Martha, Lazarus is an ardent supporter of the Messiah.
He died in the firm belief in the resurrection on judgment day. Jesus is however a sign by it the
bring back already several days buried in life. In Niemeyer's Lazarus, that will be a turning point in the life
Simon, who has lost his faith by tragedy. In the 3rd Act (to which we no music by)
Schubert know) he is converted by the encounter with the resurrected Lazarus.

Following the performance of Handel's Messiah (2008) Claus Guth resumes his occupation with the topics of death and redemption with Schubert's oratory. He uses the fact that cancels the recorded score in the middle of the burial of the deceased, the wonder story of the resurrection of Lazarus so remain largely off. With instrumental compositions by Charles Ives (among others. The unanswered question) and other vocal works by Franz Schubert, he weaves together the Lazarus to a theater evening, gravitates to the dying and what's maybe next. A performance in which it comes to issues, on which there are no definitive answers.