Max craves glory, while Jonny longs for Daniello’s precious violin, which he duly steals. With the theft of the instrument being the nodal point of the plot, the opera features a rapid succession of scenes, alternating between expressionistic images, elements of film slapstick comedy and crime drama, while the music ranges between extensive neo-Romantic passages and jazz-influenced dance rhythms.
In the end, “Jonny Plays and the whole of Europe dances”. Krenek’s opera was premiered on 10 February 1927 in Leipzig, conducted by Gustav Brecher.