Of all the Strauss-Hoffmansthal collaborations, Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow) is by far the most ambitious, and perhaps the opera with the richest musical ideas. Dealing with a complex and lofty subject -- the relationship of a man and his wife to a higher principle (Keikobad, the King of the Spirits, and God) and to human society, the opera has comparisons with Mozart's Magic Flute. The characterisation is some of the strongest in all Strauss's operas, and the vocal writing for Barak and his wife rivals, if not exceeds, anything in Der Rosenkavalier and Salome. At the premier in Vienna in 1919 conducted by Franz Schalk, Strauss was relieved to learn that for once all the critics were praising his new opera. Further information - Recorded in 1963 - Booklet notes and synopsis - 'This is an historical document of some importance in the recorded history of this piece ... Inge Borkh's utter commitment to the part of the Dyer's wife ... probably remains unsurpassed.' Gramophone