Kafka’s Vision (1997)

World premiere: March 2, 1997
Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center

New York premiere: March 3, 1997
Great Performers at Lincoln Center

Conceived and directed by Sarah Rothenberg
Original performers: Schoenberg Quartet (Janneke van der Meer, violin; Wim de Jong, violin; Henk Guittart, viola; Viola de Hoog, cello); Martha Katz, viola; Norman Fischer, cello; Sarah Rothenberg, piano; Uta Hagen, reader

Readings from Kafka’s Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk; Amerika; The Metamorphosis and At Night

Erwin Schulhoff:
String Quartet No. 1
Jazz Etudes
Five Pieces for String Quartet
Sextet for Strings

The prophetic short stories and parables of Franz Kafka have come to epitomize aspects of life in the 20th century. These remarkable literary works are paired with the powerful and ironic music of Kafka’s contemporary, Erwin Schulhoff, the Jewish-Czech composer whose international career ended in the holocaust.