The poet Otto Borngräber wrote Die ersten Menschen, subtitled "Erotisches Mysterium" (Erotic mystery) in 1908.

The premiere was planned at the Oper Frankfurt for the winter 1915;[4] however, by then the composer had died at the Eastern Front.

It was recorded with soloists Siegmund Nimsgern as Adahm, Gabriele Maria Ronge [de] as Chawa, Florian Cerny as Kajin, and Hans Aschenbach as Chabel.

[6] On 3 June 2021, François-Xavier Roth conducted the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a stage production of Stopera in Amsterdam, directed by Calixto Bieito.

The opera deals with the matrimonial conflict between Adahm (Adam) and Chawa (Eve) and the sexual intrigues between the sons Kajin (Cain) and Chabel (Abel), who both desire the only woman available, their mother.