A. BERG - WOZZECK act III: Orchestral Interlude

[pkt171]

@RobertsSchilman, points appreciated. Berg's two operas are really done disservice when neatly categorized as I ineptly attempted. i had sensed that some of the comments implied that the prologue was hyperemotional because it was atonal, so I pointed to Lulu hoping youtubers would compare the operas. I defend Berg against otherwise avid operagoers who dismiss it after a minute's listen because they say it makes no sense. Pardon my zealous sloppiness and thanks for your observations.

[paolosilv]

Lulu is written in 12 tone style.

[pkt171]

i know im being pedantic here but for bergian atonality look to his other opera Lulu. wozzeck isnt atonal, its expressionist, and its chief mode is dissonance, not atonality.

[RobertSchilman]

@pkt171 Well, it is good that people are willing to learn but you have a few facts wrong here. Atonal and expressionist don't rule each other out, just the opposite: much of expressionist music is atonal. So is Wozzeck, although it has some tonal moments like this. You are probably referring to, as paolo said, 12 tone music. And that Lulu is - but it also has some tonal moments. And as a side note 12 tone music is - like tonal - usually organized in hierarchic prologational spaces.

[organismocibernetico]

si suberbo

[classicvinylbiz]

Wozzeck - Complete 1965 DG recording, Fischer-Dieskau, Evelyn Lear, Karl Bohm:

watch?v=ur2UTmGk9RY

thanks and regards

[solarwindlass]

thrill and chills!!!! I've loved this for decades, though this version is pretty crappy. There should be an active elastic diminuendo just before the climax, that makes all the difference. Like the pulling back of the ocean before the tsunami hits the shore, like the moment before any good climax. Pull back, then go.

[iamalittlespy]

It sounds almost tonal, yet it isn't. Berg found a way to write atonal music of great intensity and emotion.

[Bolenderable]

@iamalittlespy I believe this section is called "Variations on a tonality" in the score.

[Quotenwagnerianer]

@iamalittlespy It is tonal. It's the "Invention on the key of d-minor". Therefore it has to be tonal.

That aside, Wozzeck is not half as atonal as most people seem to think it is.

[iamalittlespy]

@Quotenwagnerianer Thanks for the input. To be honest with you I lack the ear-training needed to completely differentiate atonal, from half-tonal to extremely chromatic. When it comes to mature Berg, he often composed in the netherworld of tonality, where its really hard to tell how tonal or atonal it is. A really famous example is the first movement of his violin concerto where its definitely atonal, yet he hints tonality by arranging the tone row to sound diatonic.

[FrostyManElemental]

Man im surprised D minor isnt banned from religious establishments.

[multitasker235]

You do know that Mozart wrote his Requiem in D minor, right?

[HolyMotherofGrid]

@FrostyManElemental LOLOLOLOL!!!!!!! You've just given me the best belly-laugh i;ve had in months: your witicism came at me completely out of the blue, and was precisely what i needed.  Thank you, Mr. Elemental Frostyman.

[spockezri]

@FrostyManElemental Your comment is awesome! XD

(I think maybe it's more that Alban Berg's style of tonality should be banned from religious establishments, probably to avoid frightening old ladies and small children. :P)

[99999newo]

2:46 - end was in GCSE music mock paper!

Love this piece of music. Cheers for posting.

[TheCatedral]

Superbe, si l'on considère de surcroît que Mitropoulos dirige tout l'Opéra de mémoire, sans partition. L'intensité de la direction est unique, peut-être, par la suite le défi est-il relevé par Dohnanyi et ensuite par Boulez. Mais, Dans cet Interlude c'est tout le talent de D. Mitropoulos allié à la partition incomparable de Berg. Un grand moment de musique. Merci.

[RADAMES1983]

WONDERFUL MUSIC!

[chrisfactoryboi]

2:38 onwards just gives me an erection! I wnat to see this opera!

[gnasher1993]

Lol chris same for me. Those timps at 2:52 are the best part. How naive....

[wagneristhebest]

same thoughts man :]

[Cramnella]

It just wrings all the juice out of you!

[Clewsmonkey]

hello to you one year ago. lolz.

though seriously, this is good shit.

[Bolenderable]

@chrisfactoryboi You are funny! It is a great opera.

[bigcbigc]

Quite possibly my favorite piece of music in all of the world.

Thnx for posting.