Berg: Lulu; Wozzeck
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Free Music Notes for Berg: Lulu; Wozzeck
Free Music Review: Opera music has become something new on the stage
Hit: 5 Stars
This opera has become mythic in the world of the opera because it deals with a subject that is outrageous and frankly immoral. It starts like a circus with the presentation of the menagerie by a master of ceremonies, the most beastlike beast being the woman, Lulu of course.
This woman is a femme fatale so common in the clichés of the Belle Epoque from the Eiffel Tower to just before the Black Friday. She is an easy woman, not really a prostitute, at least at the beginning. A woman who wants to be free and finds her freedom in the love, meaning sex of course and derangement of the mind, she inspires in men around her and she has no limits, no sense either. She is absolutely crazy in her hunger for victims falling to her sex appeal. Even a Prince is caught but she cannot choose and runs away to one more and one more and one more. Some actually die along the way and she becomes the beast to be hunted and tracked down. The police is coming. She is helped out and suggested to disappear in Egypt or locked up in a house for the sole pleasure of one man who would cover the trip or pay for the refuge. She refuses in the name of her freedom in a way. Then we follow her descent into hell that is represented by the last three men she will get. A dealer in religious goods that has lost God. A black man clearly called a N**** (sorry for the word but such characters were common in European culture in that period due to the colonialization of Africa and the still pending experience of nazi racism) in the libretto and the opera, and finally the anachronism of all centuries, Jack the Ripper who will of course rip her up and finish her up forever. But what is most interesting in this opera is the complete transformation of the role of music.
A turnaround seems to have taken place in the music as well as in the opera in these 1930s. The music is no longer a "decoration", a beautiful virtuosity, which it became at the end of the Middle Ages and with the Renaissance. It does not go back to the religious finality it had before of expressing the divine beauty of God's creation and God's teaching or message. But it is not either any more some entertaining element that had to please the senses as represented in the evolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. It has become part of the plot and the libretto. An opera is all sensory because it is synesthetic but this synesthesia is expressed by the merging of the various levels of the opera: the music, the singing, the language, the meaning, the plot, and of course the stage production. Music is not there to embellish the scene, or to enable the singers to glow and shine. The music builds the density of the plot, of the opera. The "instrumental and vocal" music is only part of the vast all-mediatic and all sensory music of a modern opera from plot to stage.
The end comes from Lulu's own hands. Lulu introduces Jack the Ripper as her latest street conquest and she negotiates her deal or trick with him but she is a novice and Jack is actually paid by her for the business that is in no way shady at this moment but a pure suicide or execution. A complete reversal. She takes him to the bedroom. The Countess then sings the dirge that announces Lulu's death that comes after her four "nein" and her death-cry. Jack comes out and washes his hands, like Pilate in another situation. The Countess closes the story with a call to Lulu the angel, which reminds us of her commitment just before Lulu's death to the rights of women. This opera then becomes an archetype by this very story.
Aren't women who want to be free reduced to prostitution and death? Is the future of women's rights in the fake freedom these prostitutes represent? Is the end always death in the hands of some perverse sex addict? Can such a woman only bring death and ruin to the men who love her? Can she only satisfy murderers like Jack the Ripper?
And the music builds the whole story. The contradictory tendencies, interpretations, the play in the play. What we see - voyeurs that we are - is not what it means. Life is a stage on which human beings strut and play their parts. But music on the stage turns the actors into actors of themselves, twofold, double, dual actors or marionettes that are playing a mental play inside the superficial visible play, and that mental play is revealed by the music and the singing. The music reveals the second depth of the play.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
Free Music Review: This is an amazing opera
Hit: 5 Stars
(This review only applies to "Lulu")As you know, Alban Berg couldn't finished this opera, the 1-297 measures of the 3rd Act was being finished, but later, Berg, was written last (approx.) 700 measures without orchestration (only with a Piano part and libretto).
In 1970's, Friedrich Cerha was orchestrated this measures and with this version, complete Three Acts was performed in Paris Opera, conducted by Pierre Boulez, in 1979. (The recording of this performance is available on DG Classics)
But, this performance is better than the version of Boulez's. (I have listened both of two recordings). And, even so, this is a live recording from Berlin, Deutsche Oper, in 1968. So, there isn't 3rd Act, instead of this, (with the same affairs) they were performed the last movements of Lulu-Suite (Symphonic Pieces from Opera). These movements are, 4th movement - Variations on Wedekind's Theme for Lute-, and 5th movement - The Last Scene (Jack the Ripper kills Lulu and Countess Geschwitz)...Even so, Berg was wanted this movements to be perform (to think that, if he can't finish the 3rd Act).
The soloists are excellent, especially Evelyn Lear (as Lulu), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (as Dr. Schön), Loren Driscoll (as Painter) and Donald Grobe (as Alwa). It is an interesting condition that, actually Karl Böhm isn't a conductor of 20th Century Music. We know with his historic Mozart and R. Strauss recordings. But in this set, he is amazing in both of Wozzeck and Lulu.
Another an interesting condition that, in "Wozzeck", the composer was used a large ensemble (ex. A quadruple orchestra, plus choir) and this is an atonal opera, isn't a 12-tone music at all. In "Lulu", Berg was used a little small ensemble than in Wozzeck (tripled orchestra, no choir), but this is a full 12-tone music. So, this opera is more difficult to reading the partition (of opera) or listen this music with understands than Wozzeck (it is interesting, but, Berg was written more difficult music with a little small ensemble and his first opera "Wozzeck" is more easy to understand or reading the partition but this is scored for large ensemble). Because, Berg was used 12-tone system at all, so, perhaps, this is more difficult to listen, but if you listen more and more, you will enjoy (!) with this music.
And there is a very amazing music in this opera: Interlude - Film Music (in 2nd Act between 1st and 2nd Scenes). In last minutes of 1st Scene, Lulu kills Dr. Schön and she arrests by police with help of Alwa (Doctor's Son). With a fast fall of curtain, Interlude - Film Music starts and there is a show that a (black-white, without colouring and without sound) short film tells, that Lulu's fortune in one year. Because of subject of film, in the music, starts and moves forwards, than music reaches to a centre (of music) and than, the music moves backwards! (This music was used once again in Lulu-Suite as the 1st movement of suite)...
Best tracks: Act 1
No. 2 Canon, No. 4 Melodram - The Death of Professor, No. 5 Arioso of The Painter (this is a very mysterious music), No. 10 Monoritmica (The Rhythm of Death, this rhythm was used in whole opera, in every passages!), No. 12 (Sonata Development)
Act 2:
No. 6 and 7 (Lulu kills Dr. Schon and arrests), No. 8 Film Music (of course!)
Instead of Act 3 (from Lulu-Suite): Variations (because of the Third act wasn't be found yet) and Adagio (Lulu, Countess Geschwitz...Jack the Ripper!)
Highly recommended for any Alban Berg, 20th Century Music or opera admirers.
Free Music Review: El mejor Wozzeck en la discografía
Hit: 5 Stars
Esta versión dirigida por Karl Böhm y producida por Otto Gerdes es en mi opinión la mejor que existe en el mercado. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau canta un Wozzeck soberbio. Aún sin verlo, sólo con escucharlo puede uno imaginarlo en el escenario. Evelyn Lear canta una Marie excelente, al igual que Fritz Wunderlich en su interpretación de Andrés. Caso aparte merece el gran Gerhard Stolze en su interpretación del capitán,en mi opinión la mejor que existe en la discografía, siendo una burda copia de la misma la realizada por Heinz Zednik en la versión de Claudio Abbado.Karl Böhm realiza una interpretación llena de detalles y el sonido de DG es en ésta grabación digno de mencionarse, con un buen balance y sin la tendencia a los agudos típico de las grabaciones de DG.
Esta grabación es el punto de referencia para las otras que existen y ni la versión de Abbado ni Dohnanyi estan a su altura.
Este set de CDs consta de dos óperas, la ya comentada Wozzeck y Lulú en su versión original incompleta con sólo los dos primeros actos y la suite de Lulú como complemento, pero a pesar de ser una buena interpretación, en esta última ópera recomiendo la versión de Boulez en DG, con la reconstrucción del tercer acto por Friedrich Cerha y con Teresa Stratas como protagonista principal.
Free Music Review: Boehm's Wozzeck is easy on the ears...
Hit: 5 Stars
This review applies to Wozzeck only. The Lulu recording is okay only...missing the Cerha third act (which hadn't been written yet) and with a soprano who cannot seem to manage the cruel role...
Now to Wozzeck: Boehm conducts everything as if it were Strauss (whether it is Wagner, Mozart, whatever): lush, a sort of "dancing" feel...sweetness, etc... He even makes Wozzeck, a violently atonal anguish-fest, sound mellow to my ears (at least as much as is possible with this opera) and really, really beautiful, I can't stop listening to this recording. Really accessible if you have had trouble appreciating Wozzeck in the past. The singers are lighter voiced Mozartean and Straussian singers as well...Lear doesn't quite have the heft that Maries usually have, but she is more detailed and lyrical than most...FiDi is also a light voiced and refined Wozzeck...too refined in some ways. He sounds really intelligent and ironic even in the first scene--Wozzeck is supposed to be a bit of a lump. But all the singers have exceptionally clear diction in this version...unusual for this difficult music that stretches the limits of a singers vocal range. You can really hear every word. The sound is excellent...detailed and full, better than a lot of digital recordings. I recommend this Wozzeck.
Free Music Review: This WOZZECK is one of the Greats
Hit: 5 Stars
This great, classic studio recording of Berg's first opera is the first one I heard, having bought the LPs based on reading a summary of the plot. I don't know what I liked about the story, but I immediately loved the Mahlerian score, especially as presented in such a sympathetic recording. The warmth of both Bohm's conducting and Fischer-Deiskau's wonderful voice, and the chemistry of the two principles still comes through forty years later. True, Fischer-Deiskau is perhaps too sane and vocally balanced for his part,but his performance is still one of the greatest because of the genius of his vocal coloring. Though both Abbado and Barenboim present more of the complex inner voices of the score more successfully in their live recordings, this studio version still holds its own due to the great performers and because the studio mix balances the voices with the orchestra perfectly, allowing us to hear all the vocal parts even in the loudest moments. See Werner Herzog's film of WOYZEK for an interesting presentation of the original play by Georg Buchner.
Unfortunately, I can't comment on the LULU, though the Boulez is generally thought to be the best, and it presents the complete score, finally released for publication after the death of Frau Berg.