Conversations With Brecht and Dürrenmatt

Extract

It was in the summer of 1948—or was it '49?—that Brecht stayed with me in Salzburg. I meant to work with him on an opera. He outlined a plot, which I have forgotten. Or rather, my memory has jumbled it up with the story of The Threepenny Opera, which it strongly resembled. All that remains is the title: ‘Joys and sorrows of the pirates, great and small’.

Why did I never write the opera? On one point Brecht and I had always done battle, and did so again. Brecht was adamant that the public must clearly understand every single word. I argued that it was necessary only at points when the action moves on; everywhere else, one could rely on the singers' artistry, particularly since the music in any case takes over the text's function. Brecht was cross. Instead of an opera he wrote me a Passion text, Das Stundenlled. It is a choral work without soloists, so here the text is repeated often enough to become comprehensible. Many people were surprised that Brecht of all people should have written a Passion.