Mathis der Maler

Mathis der Maler (Matthias the Painter) is an opera by Paul Hindemith. The libretto is also by the composer. The opera's genesis lay in Hindemith's interest in the Protestant Reformation. The work's protagonist, Matthias Grünewald, was an actual historical figure who flourished in that era, and whose art, in particular the Isenheim Altarpiece, was an inspiration to many creative figures living in the early 20th century (see, for example, Joris-Ka... more

Mathis der Maler (Matthias the Painter) is an opera by Paul Hindemith. The libretto is also by the composer. The opera's genesis lay in Hindemith's interest in the Protestant Reformation. The work's protagonist, Matthias Grünewald, was an actual historical figure who flourished in that era, and whose art, in particular the Isenheim Altarpiece, was an inspiration to many creative figures living in the early 20th century (see, for example, Joris-Karl Huysmans' novel Là-Bas). Hindemith wrote the libretto himself, though at the beginning (around 1932) he had considered working with Gottfried Benn. The finishing touches were completed in 1935, by which time performances in Germany had become problematic; nevertheless, for several years Hindemith attempted to secure a performance in Nazi Germany, where he was still living until 1938. The action, set during the Peasants' War (1524-25), concerns Matthias's struggle for artistic expression in the repressive climate of his day and is clearly a... less