Mr. Bechtolf has added a new biographical frame to the play, about Hofmannsthal and his amorous correspondent, Austrian countess Ottonie von Degenfeld-Schonburg.
Austrian poet and librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal's long collaboration with Strauss produced a series of superb works, starting with "Elektra" in 1909.
Originally conceived by composer Richard Strauss and librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal as a blend of genres, the original, first staged in 1912, began with a ballet-spiced play, followed by a different version of the one-act opera.