Das weite Land (The Vast Domain)

Korsakov, a pianist and regular visitor at the villa of the lightbulb manufacturer and inventor of assembly line production Friedrich Hofreiter and his wife, has shot himself. His possible motives are the subject of much speculation. It is thought that Hofreiter may have encouraged the young musician to take his own life after discovering his (alleged) affair with his wife, Genia. But Hofreiter claims he didn’t care about that; on the contrary, he practically encourages his wife to take lovers. In his notes, Schnitzler, the physician and diagnostician of his time, outlines how the story continues in succinct sentences: “He sees his wife as a grisly bringer of death. He can no longer possess her. In the end, he goes mad.” 

Schnitzler’s tragicomedy describes a society in which expansionism and hedonism are the topmost priorities. Friendships are nothing more than business alliances. Erotic desires are satisfied in hotel chains inserted into the barren, rocky landscapes of the Dolomites. In this setting, Hofreiter’s lightbulbs almost seem like the ironic commentary on an enlightened, bright world. Accountability is something nobody reflects on in these times of imminent war. This production of Schnitzler’s ensemble piece is directed by Barbara Frey. She paints a picture of a gasping, entitled society that, in a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, laughs as it destroys itself.