Music Sales Corporation and G. Schirmer, Inc. Announces FRAU SCHINDLER: The Heroine Behind The Hero

Music Sales Corporation and G. Schirmer, Inc. proudly announce Frau Schindler, an original opera in three acts by American composer Thomas Morse, with a libretto co-written by Morse and Ken Cazan.

Frau Schindler is the story of a woman's survival and heroism in the heart of one of the darkest periods of human history: the Second World War. The opera is told from the perspective of Emilie Schindler (the wife of Oskar, whose story was portrayed in Steven Spielberg's 1993 masterpiece, Schindler's List). Exploring how an ordinary German couple (Oskar & Emilie) were immersed in the imperceptibly slow escalation of fascist violence, the opera portrays a completely unique point of view on their experiences.

American film and TV composer Thomas Morse moved to Berlin from Los Angeles, inspired to conduct original research for an opera that, like Schindler's List, would portray Oskar Schindler's heroic actions that led to his helping save 1,200 of his Jewish workers during the Holocaust. But through years of traveling to World War II sites including the Schindler Factories in Brn?nec, Czech Republic (formerly Brunnlitz in "Sudetenland"), and Krakow, Poland, interviewing World War II survivors and becoming fluent in German himself, Morse instead decided to write an opera featuring Frau Emilie Schindler. As Morse explains in his Composer's Note:

"The story from her perspective . . . [reveals] a society that felt that it had been victimized, and in turn used this to justify rage toward an entire people. Through Emilie's eyes, we also see a complex and paradoxical portrait of Oskar. He was a man who was initially able to severely set aside his moral conscience, in favor of his personal ambition. But he changed his mind about the exploitation of his workers, and actively fought and maneuvered to save them."

Morse and Cazan strived to make the Frau Schindler narrative as historically accurate as possible. As Morse describes:

"In creating the music, I have relied solely on my own intense emotional connection to the story. . . We hope that as you get to know Emilie, you will hear her voice, and remember her as we have."

Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, who commissioned the opera, will present the world premiere performance of Frau Schindler on March 9, 2017, in Munich, Germany, with additional performances on March 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19. The performances will be held in Reithalle.

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