Der Prozeß (opera)

Der Prozeß (The Trial) is a German-language opera in two parts, divided into nine scenes, with music by Gottfried von Einem and a libretto by Boris Blacher and Heinz von Cramer, based on the posthumously published 1925 novel by Franz Kafka. Composed over the period 1950 to 1952, this was von Einem's second opera. He dedicated it to the psychologist and theologian Oskar Pfister, who had been his therapist, and to his former teacher, Karl Christian Jensen.

The opera premiered on 17 August 1953 at the Salzburg Festival, with stage direction by Oscar Fritz Schuh, scene design by Caspar Neher, and Karl Böhm as conductor. The US premiere of the opera was in October 1953 at the New York City Opera, directed by Otto Preminger. The British premiere, attended by the composer Gottfired Von Einem, took place in May 1973, at Bloomsbury Theatre London, in a production, conducted by Leon Lovett, directed by Fuad Kavur.