The source of inspiration for this work was the play Das Käthchen von Heilbronn (Katie of Heilbronn), which was written by Heinrich von Kleist in 1810. The music evokes the underlying drama, tensions and emotions of the characters involved: “The Blacksmith’s Daughter”, “Kunigunde”, “The Fire” and “The Emperor’s Daughter”. The title ‘Battle of Hearts’ refers to the two women from the story (Käthchen and Kunigunde), who both fight to win the heart of Count Von Strahl. This is an impressive, non pr...