Carl Orff (1895-1982) is, of course, best known for his 1937 cantata Carmina burana, which was the first in a trilogy of works entitled Trionfi, reflecting the composer's interest in medieval German poetry. With its infectious rhythms and easy tonality the work gained immediate popularity after its first performance and became a favourite in Nazi Germany, as it has since in the rest of the world.

The two 'fairytale operas' (a term the composer preferred) presented here are more often than not performed on the same programme and are both based on Grimm's Fairy Tales to libretti by the composer. Der Mond (The Moon) was first performed on 5 February 1939 and Die Kluge (The Wise Woman) on 20 February 1943.

Throughout his life Orff showed an interest in music education and he became a well-known pedagogue. Along with the Kodály and the Suzuki methods, Orff's Schulwerk became an effective means of teaching music, movement, drama and speech.