Ernst Toch - Egon und Emilie op.46

Egon und Emilie (recorded by the Ebony Band in 2009 / Channel Classics / CCS 25109) is a satire on opera based on a charmingly mischievous libretto by the famous German poet and humorist Christian Morgenstern (1871-1914), whose work ranged from the mystical and personal lyrical to the absurd verse, inspired by English nonsense rhymes. The text, written around 1905, is a monologue by a grand diva having a nervous breakdown, caused by the indifference and lack of interest of her companion Egon. The coloratura-soprano is musically seduced to display excessively explosive emotions.