Der Kaiser von Atlantis op. 49b

Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis based on a libretto by Peter Kien, ambiguously termed in the prologue as a kind of opera, was composed in the ghetto Terezín in 1943/44 and is considered one of the milestones of intellectual resistance in Terezín and far beyond. The libretto takes a firm stand on the political situation in life by using the means of a mystery play. In the tradition of the Zeitoper (opera of the time) of the 1920s, Ullmann used direct quotations to assign his music the role of political commentator.