65, is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal.

Hofmannsthal's earliest sketches for the libretto are based on a piece from Goethe's collection Conversations of German Emigrants [de] (1795).

Hofmannsthal handles Goethe's material freely, adding the idea of two couples, the emperor and empress who come from another realm, and the dyer and his wife who belong to the ordinary world.

Hofmannsthal also drew on portions of The Arabian Nights, Grimms' Fairy Tales, and even quotes Goethe's Faust.

Strauss was happy with Hofmannsthal's text, but asked him to rewrite many passages for the sake of dramatic effect.

The complexity of the text and the stress of wartime made its composition a laborious task, and Strauss was also disappointed with the first productions.

In 1946 Strauss created a one-movement orchestral piece, Fantasy on Die Frau ohne Schatten, based on highlights from the opera.

Writing about Die Frau ohne Schatten in 1948, Strauss said, despite the difficulties of staging it, "it has succeeded nevertheless and has made a deep impression ... and music lovers in particular consider it to be my most important work.

"[2] The role of the Empress calls for a dramatic soprano who can support a very high tessitura and negotiate an act 1 entrance aria including coloratura passages, a trill, and a high D. Similarly, any tenor attempting the Emperor must be able to handle numerous passages in his uppermost range, particularly his extended solo scene in act 2.

The Nurse's role makes some demands on the singer's lower range but also requires frequent leaps above the staff.

The Dyer is the most approachable of the leading vocal parts, but again the orchestration is very heavy and requires a baritone with sufficient stamina to last the opera's three hours and fifteen minutes.

A sixth character, Keikobad, King of the Spirit Realm and father to the Empress, sets the plot in motion, but never appears on stage.

Keikobad has decreed that unless the Empress gains a shadow before one year elapses after her human marriage, he will reclaim her as his daughter and the Emperor will turn to stone.

He departs on a three-day hunting trip, seeking his favorite falcon, which he drove away for attacking a gazelle that later turned into the Empress.

The Nurse, who is steeped in magic, suggests descending to the mortal world and finding a woman who will sell her shadow to the Empress.

The Wife agrees to deny her husband for three days, during which the Nurse and the Empress will live at the Dyer's hut as poor relatives who have come to work as servants.

The Nurse and Empress disappear, and the Wife is greatly upset by the offstage Voices of Unborn Children lamenting, which emerge from the fish that are cooking on the fire.

Scene 1 The Empress, acting as a servant, helps the Dyer leave for work, but is troubled by her role, because Barak is very kind to her.

The Nurse conjures up the image of a handsome youth by bringing a broom to life, which tempts the Dyer's Wife.

Scene 1 In a grotto beneath the realm of Keikobad, the Wife and the Dyer are seen in separate chambers, unaware of the other's presence.

The Nurse foretells terrible tortures awaiting the Empress and misleads the Wife and Barak, who are looking for each other, she to die at her husband's hand, he to forgive her and hold her in his arms.

Scene 3 Inside the Temple, the Empress speaks to Keikobad, asking for forgiveness and to find her place amongst those who cast shadows.

The Fountain of Life springs up before the Empress, and a temple guardian urges her to drink from it and claim the Wife's shadow for herself.