Friedenstag (Peace Day) is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss, his Opus 81 and TrV 271, to a German libretto by Joseph Gregor. The opera was premiered at Munich on 24 July 1938 and dedicated to Viorica Ursuleac and her husband Clemens Krauss, the lead and conductor respectively. Strauss had intended Friedenstag as part of a double-bill, to be conducted by Karl Böhm in Dresden, that would include as the second part his next collaboration with Gregor, Daphne. The opera thematically expresses anti-war sentiments, which William Mann has described as "a determined counter to the militaristic policies of Nazi Germany". These caused the work to be shelved after the outbreak of World War II.
| Original Name | Friedenstag |
| Librettist | Joseph Gregor |
| Date of composition | 1936 (1935-1936) |
| Premiered | 1938, July 24th in Munich, Germany |
| First published | 1938 |
| Type | Opera |
| Catalogue | TrV 271 |
| Approx. duration | 80 minutes |
| Spoken language | German |
| Instruments |
Orchestra
Chorus/Choir Voice (Baritone) - Commandant of the beleaguered town Voice (Soprano) - Maria, the commandant's wife Voice (Bass) - A Sergeant-Major Voice (Tenor) - A corporal Voice (Tenor) - A private soldier Voice (Bass) - A musketeer Voice (Bass) - A bugler Voice (Baritone) - An officer Voice (Baritone) - A front-line officer Voice (Tenor) - A Piedmontese Voice (Bass) - The Holsteiner, commanding the besieging army Voice (Tenor) - The burgomaster Voice (Baritone) - The bishop Voice (Soprano) - A woman of the people |
| Autotranslations beta |
Richard Strauss: Peace Day, TrV 271 Richard Strauss: Peace Day, TrV 271 Richard Strauss: Peace Day, TrV 271 |