The History of D. Johann Fausten

Libretto by Jörg Morgener and Alfred Schnittke based on Johan Spies' 'Historia von D. Johann Fausten' (G)

While studying the subject of Faust, Schnittke came across the popular book ‘Historia von D. Johann Fausten’ from 1587, which fascinated him so much that he decided to use the gruesome end of Dr Faustus and the moral consequences of this event as the textual basis for a work. This composition, which became known as the Faust Cantata (‘Seid nüchtern und wachet’), was to form - almost unchanged - the third act of his great Faust opera a decade later.
Despite his repeated strokes and his heavy workload (he also wrote the opera ‘Leben mit einem Idioten’ for Amsterdam in 1991/1992), he had the strength to compose his opera ‘Historia von D. Johann Fausten’ in its entirety between 1990 and 1993, so that the premiere, which was planned for 22 June 1995, went off spectacularly. Unfortunately, the composer was unable to attend the rehearsals and the premiere due to the third stroke he suffered in the summer of 1994, which left him partially paralysed and unable to speak.