The work was commissioned by the sisters Elsa and Grete Wiesenthal, two former apprentice dancers from the Vienna Court Opera.
[1] The work was composed in just ten days and first performed in Vienna on 27 June 1908 as part of the ‘Kunstschau’ organised by the group of artists around Gustav Klimt.
[1] It brought Schreker widespread recognition and led to the offer of a publishing contract with Universal Edition.
[2] The ballet is scored for a chamber orchestra of two flutes (second doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, percussion, harp and strings.
[1] This suite later served as the basis for an entirely new ballet entitled Spanisches Fest which was premiered on 22 January 1927 at the Berlin State Opera in a choreography by Max Terpis.