Palindrome Opera

In the 15th Century cocky composers sometimes showed off by writing compositions that could be played backwards as well as forwards. These compositions, called cancrizans or "crab style" (because of a mistaken idea that crabs walk backwards) were as difficult to construct as crossword puzzles. But they were not worth listening to.

Since that time most composers have been content to compose in one direction. Not so the famed, self-exiled German modernist, Paul Hindemith. Twelve years ago, before Nazi censors decided he was a Kulturbolschewist, sad-eyed Composer Hindemith dished up a whole opera in crab style. Last week an enterprising group of Juilliard Graduate School alumni gave this crab-style opera its first Manhattan hearing.

The opera turned out to be a sort of musical and dramatic palindrome.* Called Hin und zurueck ("There and back"), it walked up to a tragic climax, then backed away from it like an ambassador in a throne room. Its hero comes home on his wife's birthday, gives her a present, discovers a letter from her lover, pulls a pistol, shoots her. While two ambulance surgeons carry out the body, he moans that life means nothing more to him, gulps a cup of tea and jumps out the window.

At this point a bearded philosophical angel in a cutaway explains to the audience that the action would look just as logical in reverse. So the music begins to play backwards, the man uncommits suicide by jumping in through the window, the surgeons back in with the body, which comes alive, the letter goes back to the lover, the husband takes back his wife's birthday present and backs happily out the door. If somewhat short on logic in either direction, this piece of Kulturbolsche-whimsey was just as good fun coming as going.

* Simple sample palindrome: Madam, I'm Adam.

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