Alban Berg: Lulu-Suite (1a)

[PascalVillarubias]

Selon moi, il y a 4 personnalités musicales dominantes pour le XXème siècle : Debussy, Stravinsky, Berg et...Brian Wilson. ... .... on ne rigole pas au fond de la classe... ... "si je suis sérieux?" EVIDEMMENT QUE JE SUIS SERIEUX!

[calico992]

I read in a book on composers, that Alban Berg died from his cavities, and that the state of his teeth was so bad that they actually gave him blood poisoning...

[SorgenkindDesLebens]

@calico992 Bad book.

[SorgenkindDesLebens]

@calico992 It was even worse: He died of blood poisoning after having been bitten by an insect.

[SgtStranger]

I always knew he looked a little like Wilde.

[GlenK8]

I think I was Lulu w/Stratas and Troyannos some years ago. I was too young to understand it. Though, I would like to get a video of it again maybe so I can understand and appreciate it more. Wozzeck too

[BeccaRob93]

is this an expressionistic piece ?

[CaptainBluebear08]

@BeccaRob93

Berg lived in a period and place where expressionism had much influence. The composers were called the Second Viennese School. Composer Arnold Schoenberg was their leadsman. Initially there was the art movement of Jugendstil that was most en vogue, then, later, it was expressionism.

Consider the author. Lulu was based on the novels "Earth Spirit" and "Pandora's Box" by Frank Wedekind. He was expressionist avant la lettre.

[duderock009]

@BeccaRob93 it is a serialistic piece . serialism was a movement in the beginnig of the 20th century. Arnold Schoenberg was the mentor of serialitic composers , who used his twelve tone technique as a base for their compositions

[TheDarrenMindham]

this is not sexy

[yamiko193]

@TheDarrenMindham wait.... what? I'm not sure if I understand the relevancy of your comment...

[papoocanada]

To me Lulu's score is a masterpiece, the masterpiece of all opera masterpieces. Part of Act III was unfinished but the last scene was complete. At performance the missing section was explained on screen. Cerha completed it according to Berg's own notes. Very intelligently, it is this version that is always successfully performed today.

[yamiko193]

This is what they play during the film part, right?

[heidistevenson]

beyond brilliant! thanks for posting this.

[saminnyc]

The Cleveland Orchestra is playing this tonight at Carnegie Hall. Looking forward to hearing it live. Never have before and this is such an interesting piece.

[mahler151]

Heh, he looks like a more serious version of Oscar Wilde if you ask me. More conservative in his clothing choices, etc. But still an interesting comparison.

[KRANKYGUY]

Berg's Lulu - one of the great modern operas of the 20th cent.  But. seldom performed.

Pity that we can't see how it looks on stage.

Takes a while to get used to the music based on the 12 tone system of Arnold Shonberg but with Berg very lyrical.

[eugenelohks]

@KRANKYGUY i know... it's such a shame, i think the main reason is just how difficult (to sing AND learn!) the title role is... even Natalie Dessay refused it saying it was too hard to learn!

[eugenelohks]

@KRANKYGUY i know... it's such a shame, i think the main reason is just how difficult (to sing AND learn!) the title role is... even Natalie Dessay refused it saying it was too hard to learn!

[Nullifidian]

@KRANKYGUY - I wish we could have had a Met HD broadcast of last season's "Lulu". Marlis Petersen sounded fantastic as Lulu, and the whole opera was splendidly conducted and performed.

Alas, they probably thought it was too difficult to sell, so instead we just got the radio feed. And even then my local classical station decided to cut their feed an hour in, and I had to abruptly switch to KUSC! Gah! Tinkly Baroque music is not an appropriate substitute for Berg!

[CaptainBluebear08]

@Nullifidian

I am soooooo with you.

[simonofhell]

@KRANKYGUY Berg didn't finish it. I don't think it's appropriate to perform a work that is unfinished.

[CaptainBluebear08]

@simonofhell

Come again????

[simonofhell]

@CaptainBluebear08 Lulu was finished by Friedrich Cerha in 1976, 41 years after Berg's death.

[CaptainBluebear08]

@simonofhell

Yeah I know, he's a fine composer and did a great job. Do you imply that up until 1979 Lulu never ought to have been performed? (And Schubert's "Unfinished", Bach's Art of Fugue, 14th Contrapunctus, etc. etc.?)

[simonofhell]

@CaptainBluebear08 Not just until 1979. I don't think Lulu should ever have been performed. I actually find the fact that is was finished by someone else pretty offensive. Compare it to a painter dying, and someone else says: "hang on, I'll put the last of those sunflowers up on there", and has their way at it.

[CaptainBluebear08]

@simonofhell

1. If someone brings along the right competences and mentality, then it's ok and let him have a go at it. Human creativity is quite universal (late composer's spouses tend to underestimate it...). If you treat a composition as the holy word of god, then one is fallen under the spell of the idol of purism;

2. Cooke's Mahler 10th and Cerha's Lulu turned out to be acknowledged successes;

3. Real insiders like Adorno and Boulez were defenders of 'completion'.

[yamiko193]

@simonofhell Normally I would kind of have to agree with that, but Berg had outlined this section and Lulu was finished according to notes he left behind. It wasn't like the first part is distinctly Alban Berg and then the very end is completely different. I think that this was done with as much respect and sensitivity as possible towards the late Berg.Think about Mozart's requiem. Salieri finished it, and you would never know because he did it with mozart's notes and made it sound like Mozart.

[MaestroTJS]

@yamiko193 Salieri did not finish Mozart's Requiem. Mozart's student Sussmayr finished it. Salieri only finished in the movie _Amadeus_.

[bitc43]

@KRANKYGUY Actually the santa fe opera performed this a while ago, I think they've done it a few times. but I'm not completely sure.

[dweezlzor]

Wonderful. Thanks for contributing.