The premiere was on 28 September 1985 at the Komische Oper Berlin, directed by Harry Kupfer.

The composer Siegfried Matthus was pointed to Friedrich Hebbel's Judith, a tragedy written in 1840, by stage director Harry Kupfer.

[1] At the same time Matthus composed Holofernes-Porträt for baritone and orchestra, which was premiered in 1981 during the opening week of the new Gewandhaus, with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and conductor Kurt Masur.

[3] As Kupfer worked in Berlin from 1981, the opera was premiered at the Komische Oper Berlin on 28 September 1985, staged by Kupfer[3]: 358  and conducted by Rolf Reuter, with Eva-Maria Bundschuh in the title role and Werner Haseleu as Holofernes.

[1] The first performance was recorded in 1986, conducted by Rolf Reuter and staged by Kupfer, with the chorus and orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin, as a studio production in collaboration with the Rundfunk der DDR.