Teddy Conducts
Der Kaiser Von Atlantis
January 25, 2025
Experience the historic performance of Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser Von Atlantis, composed in the Theresienstadt concentration camp during WWII. This poignant opera tells the story of a tyrant whose reign ends when ‘Death’ refuses to take more lives. With striking projections from the graphic novel, Death Strikes, and an outstanding cast, this fully staged production is paired with Brittany J. Green’s Thread and Pull, exploring themes of tension and resilience. This performance honors Holocaust survivor and former Louisville Orchestra concertmaster Paul Kling, who was imprisoned in Theresienstadt and slated to perform this opera at just 14 years old.
Honoring International Holocaust Remembrance Day
On January 27, 2025, we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. This solemn day invites us to remember the millions of lives lost and to honor the resilience of those who survived. Through the powerful music of Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis, composed in the Theresienstadt concentration camp, we pay tribute to the strength of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity. This performance is not just a concert—it is an act of remembrance and a call to ensure the lessons of history guide our future.
Cast of Der Kaiser Von Atlantis
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- Ryan McKinny, Death
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- Dylon Crain, Harlequin
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- Emmett O’Hanlon, Der Kaiser
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- Erin Wagner, Drummer
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- Andrew Bearden Brown, Soldier
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- Emily Albrink, Bubikopf
Creative TEam
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- Tomer Zvulun, Production Director
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- Gregory Luis Boyle, Staging Director
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- Driscoll Otto, Lighting/Projection Designer
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- Erik Teague, Costume Designer
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- Patrick Lay, Death Strikes Writer
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- Dave Maass, Death Strikes Artist
Honoring Paul Kling
Concertmaster of the Louisville Orchestra 1959-1975
Paul Kling, a violin prodigy born in Troppau, Czechoslovakia, performed his first concerto at the age of seven. In 1943, he was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, where, at just 14 years old, he became one of the youngest musicians contributing to the camp’s vibrant and defiant cultural life. His extraordinary musical talent allowed him to participate in numerous concerts and rehearsals, including Der Kaiser von Atlantis, offering a rare glimpse of humanity amidst unimaginable terror. In 1944, Kling was transported to Auschwitz but managed to escape during a death march in early 1945, ultimately finding safety. After the war, he rebuilt his life and career, becoming concertmaster of the Louisville Orchestra in 1957, where he performed and recorded extensively. This performance of Der Kaiser von Atlantis marks the first time the Louisville Orchestra has directly engaged with a work Kling himself performed during the Holocaust, honoring his legacy of survival and resilience while adding a profoundly personal connection to the production.
History of Der Kaiser Von Atlantis
Der Kaiser von Atlantis, composed by Viktor Ullmann in 1943, is a profound and defiant work born under the most harrowing circumstances. Ullmann, a gifted composer and conductor of Jewish heritage, was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II. In this unique camp, where the Nazis allowed a degree of cultural activity to serve their propaganda, Ullmann composed this satirical opera. The story, centered on a tyrannical ruler whose reign collapses when Death refuses to take more lives, serves as a bold allegory of resistance against oppression. Tragically, Ullmann and many of his collaborators were transported to Auschwitz before the opera could be performed and were killed in 1944. Despite these atrocities, Ullmann’s work survived, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of art to confront tyranny and inspire hope. Today, Der Kaiser von Atlantis stands as a hauntingly relevant piece of history, bridging past and present through its stirring music and poignant message.
Death Strikes
Visual Storytelling
The Louisville Orchestra’s production of Der Kaiser Von Atlantis will feature stunning projections inspired by Death Strikes: The Emperor of Atlantis, a graphic novel that reimagines the opera’s poignant narrative. Mixing dystopian sci-fi, mythic fantasy, and zombie horror, Death Strikes breathes new life into Viktor Ullmann and Peter Kien’s 1943 masterpiece, composed in the Terezín concentration camp.
Set in an alternate universe where Atlantis thrives as a technological tyranny, the Emperor’s war against all life causes Death to go on strike, plunging the world into chaos. Through powerful animations designed by Death Strikes creators Dave Maass and Patrick Lay the projections vividly portray the opera’s surreal and symbolic world. These visuals, paired with historical essays, photographs, and original designs, elevate the performance, offering a multi-sensory experience that explores resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art in the face of unimaginable darkness.
Brittany J. Green’s
Thread and pull
Thread and Pull explores concepts of restraint, constraint, and dissension. Flowing figures and driving rhythms move throughout the ensemble in tandem and opposition, halted by gestures of silence. Thread and Pull is a reflection on the complications and contradictions the global majority must navigate in an imperialist white supremacist patriarchal society. The piece features text from Ghazal 1419 by Jalāl al-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī.
Get the LO-Down with Charlie Brestel, Lo violinist and former student of Paul Kling
Paul Kling became the concertmaster of the Louisville Orchestra and joined the faculty at the University of Louisville School of Music in 1959. I first met and worked with Mr. Kling in 1970, when he coached the first violin section of my youth orchestra. At our first session with him, the students had a big concern as to how we would be ranked and seated in the section. He immediately dismissed the concern. He stressed cooperation, and working together as a group to learn and perform the music. The teachers we had had before him would often belittle and shame individual student violinists, I suppose to motivate us. Mr. Kling was totally different. I decided to enter the School of Music in 1971, and I came to appreciate his focus and drive, along with the kindness behind his approach.
Mr. Kling did not usually refer to his experiences during World War II. He had been transported to the Theresienstadt ghetto when he was about 14, and he was able to play violin there. He once said that he probably survived the war because he played violin, and the guards liked it. He was actually in the ensemble that rehearsed Viktor Ullman’s opera, Der Kaiser von Atlantis. Later, I think in September of 1944, he was transported to Auschwitz. He told us about how he escaped on a winter day when he was with some other prisoners outside the fence; the ground was covered with snow, and there were dead bodies on the ground. He took a chance and fell to the ground among the dead and lay as still as he could. He said he had no idea how long he lay there. Finally, he cautiously stood and ran, until he slipped into a barn and hid in a haystack for a couple of days. He then walked more than 60 miles to his hometown of Opava, Czechoslovakia, where he found Russian soldiers living with his family.
Some years ago, I ran across an interview with Mr. Kling in which he said something to the effect that he felt he had always been most fortunate in his life. That is quite a statement considering some of what he lived through. Personally, I feel very fortunate that I met Mr. Kling and had the opportunity to study with him for several years. He was always patient, and he had an excellent sense of humor. Teaching was very important to him, and he left a legacy in Louisville and elsewhere through his students. Many of his students have been very active teachers around the country, including David Updegraff, who became head of the violin department at the Cleveland Institute of Music. (One of David’s former students is currently a colleague of mine in the orchestra.) I remember the shock I felt when I heard that Mr. Kling was leaving the Louisville Orchestra in 1975, and I could hardly imagine the survival of music in Louisville without him, but all these years later, his legacy continues to shape our community.
By Aaron Grad
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Special thanks to our series sponsor
With significant support from
Paul & Viki Diaz
Dr. Karen Abrams & Dr. Jeffrey Glazer
Carlyn and Bill Altman
Nana Lampton
Jane Welch
Creators Corps Support Provided By
Andrew Mellon Foundation
Oswley Brown II Family Foundation
Owsley Brown III Philanthropic Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
Aaron Copland Fund for Music
William M. Wood Foundation
Edie Nixon
