See the previous comment for the source of the title.
I decided to begin remedying the fact I haven’t been to any performances of Berg’s music for a while, by going to a cinecast of Wozzeck from the Metropolitan Opera. The production was by William Kentridge whose Lulu was also done at the Met (and ENO).
Like others I found the set rather cluttered and the changing backdrops distracting in a way that they weren’t for Lulu. The singing and playing under Yannick Nézet-Séguin was excellent, especially Elza van den Heever as Marie. The cinecasting didn’t do too many favours to Peter Mattei in the title role, however, showing up his limited range of facial expressions, generally a puzzled frown. Replacing the child with a doll didn’t really work for me, but it did at least avoid the awkward chronology in the murder scene, where the libretto implies he can be no more than about two years old.
I have got my ticket for more of Berg’s music in February in London. And even (or perhaps especially) if you love this repertoire as much as I do, you need to listen to this.
Reviews:
- Playbill collects some, plus:
- Seen and Heard International
- The Classical Source