星空娱乐官网

Prologue

The voice of the Loudspeaker (Lautsprecher) is heard calling out 鈥楬allo, hallo鈥�, a theme which is repeated throughout the opera, the voice sets the scene and makes introductions for the characters. The voice explains that Kaiser Overall has been locked in his palace for the past five years, in order to rule his kingdom better, then quickly introduces everyone else. He sets the next scene 鈥榠rgendwo鈥� (somewhere) and allows it to begin.

Scene 1

Harlekin hides his tears with laughter, so the Lautsprecher has just told us. Now, Harlekin himself explains how miserable his life is (鈥楧er Mond geht auf den Firsten鈥�). Death (Der Tod) joins him in his misery, and together they discuss how time seems to pass so slowly (鈥楾age Tage, wer kauft Tage?鈥�).

Death is totally exhausted. The constant pressure of wars means that he is working non-stop, with no sign of a break ahead (鈥楧as waren Kriege鈥�). It is unnatural, and he cannot keep up with the demand of this new world of dying.

The