"Wozzeck was written sporadically over a period of some eight years and was premiered at the State Opera in Berlin on December 14, 1925, under the baton of Erich Kleiber, who championed the daring new work. It caused a near riot. People in the audience argued and shouted and critics battled in the press the next day. As so often happens, scandal proved the best advertising, and numerous productions ensued until the opera was banned by the Nazis in 1933 as 'decadent'. Today, Wozzeck is considered Alban Berg's masterpiece and one of the greatest operas written in the 20th century. It is written mostly in the 12-tone method, but often calls on other, more conventional musical styles as the exigencies of plot and emotion demand. This flexibility and attention to dramatic truth are often cited as major reasons for the opera's eventual worldwide public success and critical esteem. Even listeners who profess to dislike 12-tone music often find themselves attracted to Wozzeck.
"Berg fashioned the libretto himself from a play by Georg Buchner, a budding German Early Romantic playwright who died of typhus at the age of 23, in 1837, leaving the drama incomplete. Woyzeck, to use the original spelling, was based on a real-life incident, which may help account for its extraordinarily vivid realism and modern feeling. For a play written at such an early date to make apparent references to schizophrenia, scientific positivism and existentialism fascinated many in the early Freudian era, including Alban Berg. The operatic result is a near-perfect marriage of idea and expression.
"Act I. Wozzeck, a working-class soldier, shaves the Captain, who spouts high-flown philosophy and accuses him of immorality because he is not married but has a mistress and child. Wozzeck snaps that he could be virtuous too—if he were rich. Later, while Wozzeck is gathering wood with his comrade Andres, he has disturbing hallucinations. His mistress, Marie, argues with their neighbor Margret, who taunts her for flirting with the Drum Major. Wozzeck pops his head in the window to tell about his visions, then runs away. Wozzeck has agreed to let a Doctor try dietary experiments on him, to make a little extra money. When he describes his hallucinations, the delighted Doctor gives him a raise of a few cents. Marie gives in to her temptation and sleeps with the Drum Major.
"Act II. Wozzeck comes home to find a pair of earrings given to Marie by the Drum Major. He is suspicious, but turns over his paycheck to Marie and leaves. The Captain and Doctor conduct a fatuous discussion while on a walk. They run into Wozzeck and tease him about Marie's infidelity. Wozzeck grabs Marie roughly and she pushes him away. 'Better a knife in my heart,' she cries, 'than your hands on me.' Drunken patrons dance at a tavern. Wozzeck is tormented by seeing Marie waltz with the Drum Major. Andres tries in vain to cheer Wozzeck with a song. The village idiot, a kind of Holy Fool, smells blood on Wozzeck. At the barracks, unable to sleep, Wozzeck babbles to Andres about the voices in his head and of visions of knives. The Drum Major comes in drunk and taunts Wozzeck. They fight, and Wozzeck is left in a bloody heap on the floor.
"Act III. Ashamed of herself, Marie reads aloud the Bible story about Mary Magdalene and the woman taken in adultery. Later she and Wozzeck stroll by a pond. He kisses her and speaks gently, but when the moon comes up it reminds him of a 'blood-red iron.' He begins to accuse Marie again of infidelity and finally slits her throat. He goes to the tavern and gets drunk. He tries to dance with Margret, but she sees blood on his sleeve. He returns to the pond, looking for the knife, stumbling over Marie's body. Finding the knife, he throws it into the water, then wades out to make sure it has sunk out of sight. The water seems to turn to blood and Wozzeck drowns. The Captain and the Doctor walk by. Hearing something disturbing, they hurry away. After an orchestral interlude, the child of Marie and Wozzeck is seen playing ring-around-the rosy with other children. Another child runs up and tells the lad matter-of-factly that his mother has been found dead. Most of the children run off to see, but the boy is frightened and remains on his rocking horse, swaying back and forth." (Bill Parker. Synopsis and plot summary from the liner notes.)
Performers: Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm, Geraint Evans, Anja Silja, Fritz Uhl, Laurent Driscoll, Helmut Melkert, Hans Kremmer, Zoltan Kelemen, Klaus Hirte, Jan van Ree, Gertrude Jan
1.1. Akt I: 'Langsam Wozzeck, Langsam! Eins Nach Dem Andern!'
1.2. Akt I: 'Wozzeck, Er Ist Ein Guter Mensch, Aber...'
1.3. Akt I: 'Du, Der Platz Ist Verflucht!'
1.4. Akt I: 'Tschin Bum, Tschin Bum, Bum, Bum, Bum!'
1.5. Akt I: 'We Da? Bist Du's Franz? Komm Herein!'
1.6. Akt I: 'Was Erleb' Ich, Wozzeck? Ein Mann Ein Wort?'
1.7. Akt I: 'Geh Einmal Vor Dich Hin'
2.1. Akt II: 'Was Die Steine Glänzen! Was Sind's Für Welche?'
2.2. Akt II: 'Wohin So Eilig, Geehrtester Herr Sargnagel?'
2.3. Akt II: 'He, Wozzeck!... Was Hetzt Er Sich So...'
2.4. Akt II: 'Guten Tag, Franz'
2.5. Akt II: Landtänze
2.6. Akt II: 'Lustig, Lustig... Aber Est Riecht'
2.7. Akt II: Wortloser Chor Schlafender Soldatenwortloser
2.8. Akt II: 'Und Ist Kein Betrug In Seinem Munde...'
2.9. Akt III: 'Dort Links Geht's In Die Stadt'
2.10. Akt III: 'Tanzt Alle; Tanzt Nur Zu, Springt...'
2.11. Akt III: 'Das Messer? Wo Ist Das Messer?'
2.12. Akt III: 'Ringel, Ringel, Rozenkranz'
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