Der Weg ins Freie

The work revolves around Baron Georg, who takes hesitant steps on his path as a freelance composer. Additionally, Schnitzler paints a picture of the Belle Époque. The intellectuals engage in contrasting discussions about the future in the salon of banker Ehrenberg. The love of Baron Georg von Wergenthin for the Catholic petite bourgeoisie Anna Rosner is unhappy. The 27-year-old Georg, a handsome, slender, blonde man, a German, and a Christian, lives with his brother in their parents' apartment in Vienna. Both mother and father have passed away. Georg composes music. The Viennese Anna, a kind, gentle, intelligent being with a beautiful voice, sings his songs. Georg accompanies the 23-year-old on the pianino. The talented girl has given up her stage career. In the Ehrenberg salon, Georg encounters not only Else, the daughter of the house, but also the young Jewish woman Therese Golowski, a leading Social Democrat. There are whispers that this woman had previously been imprisoned for lèse-majesté. Therese is Anna's friend. Anna earns her living through music lessons. Thus, she occasionally plays music with banker’s daughter Else as well. Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931) was an Austrian storyteller and playwright. He is considered one of the most significant representatives of Viennese Modernism. Schnitzler wrote dramas and prose, focusing primarily on the psychological processes of his characters.