Eisler’s incidental music to Brecht’s stage work “Roundheads and Peakheads” far surpasses the conventional boundaries of such music; even Eisler himself once referred to it as an “opera”. Moreover, the score contains some of Eisler’s well-known songs, such as the “Ballade vom Wasserrad” and the “Lied von der belebenden Wirkung des Geldes” – songs that have long since conquered the concert stage.
For the first time ever, the score presents the version of 1962, which Eisler compiled shortly before his death for a stage production in Hanover. This version stands out for its completeness, and it contains all vocal numbers in a relatively uniform orchestration.