Leaping over shadows: Ernst Krenek and post-war Vienna

Abstract

The onset of war in 1914 was to have little immediate impact on either Ernst Krenek's education or quality of life, though it did start to influence him politically and culturally. Krenek was reluctantly called up for military duty early in 1918, but after completing basic officer training was given an administrative posting and was thus able to avoid frontline service. Karl Kraus had prominently and courageously opposed Vienna's uncritical endorsement of the war through the pages of the journal and elsewhere. Even before the war, Berlin's perpetually novel character had been the cause for particular comment from both the right and left of politics. In his Berlin: Ein Stadtschicksal, Karl Scheffler commented that 'Berlin is condemned ever to becoming, never being'. Krenek was only inspired to try to compose an opera himself after reading an essay on opera by Ferruccio Busoni published in 1921.