Berg: Lulu; Wozzeck
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Performer: Evelyn LearPerformer: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Performer: Alban Berg
Performer: Karl Böhm
Performer: Orchester des Deutschen Opernhauses Berlin
Performer: Alice Oelke
Performer: Barbara Scherler
Performer: Donald Grobe
Performer: Ernst Krukowski
Performer: Fritz Wunderlich
Performer: Gerd Feldhoff
Performer: Gerhard Stolze
Performer: Helmut Melchert
Performer: Josef Greindl
Performer: Karl Christian Kohn
Performer: Karl-Ernst Mercker
Edition: Music CD
Format: Box set
CD Release Date: 2003-04-08
Music Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Soundtracks:
- 1. Akt, 1. Szene- Langsam, Wozzeck, Langsam!
- Verwandlung. Orchester-Nachspiel
- 2. Szene- Du, Der Platz Ist Verflucht!
- Verwandlung. Orchester-Nachspiel Und Beginnende MilitÃ?Rmusik Im Hintergrund
- 3. Szene- Tschin Bum ! HÃ?Rst Bub- Da Kommen Sie!
- Verwandlung. Orchester-Ã?Berleitung
- 4. Szene- Was Erleb' Ich, Wozzeck-
- Verwandlung. Orchester-Einleitung
- 5. Szene- Geh Einmal Vor Dich Hin
- 2. Akt- Orchester-Einleitung. 1. Szene- Was Die Steine GlÃ?Nzen!
- Verwandlung. Orchester-Nachspiel
- 2. Szene- Wohin So Eilig, Geehrtester Herr Sargnagel-
- Verwandlung. Ã?Berleitende Takte U. Kammerorchester-Einleitung. 3. Szene- Guten Tag, Franz - Ich Seh
- Verwandlung. Ã?Berleitende Takte Und Orchester-Vorspiel (LÃ?Ndler)
- 4. Szene- Ich Hab' Ein Hemdlein An, Das Ist Nicht Mein
- Verwandlung. Orchester-Nachspiel (Walzer)
- 5. Szene- Oh! Oh! Andres! Ich Kann Nicht Schlafen
- 3. Akt, 1. Szene- Und Ist Kein Betrug In Seinem Munde Erfunden Worden
- Verwandlung. Orchester-Nachspiel
- 2. Szene- Dort Links Geht's In Die Stadt
- Wozzeck- 3. Akt.- Verwandlung. Orchester-Ã?Berleitung (H) [B]
- 3. Szene- -Tantzt Alle; Tanzt Nur Zu !-
- Verwandlung. Orchester-Nachspiel. 4. Szene- -Das Messer- Wo Ist Das Messer--
- Verwandlung. Orchester-Epilog- Invention Ã?Ber Eine Tonart (D-Moll)
- 5. Szene- -Ringel, Ringel, Rosenkranz, Ringelreih'n!-
- Lulu- Prolog. -Hereinspaziert In Die Menagerie-
- 1. Akt, 1. Szene- -Darf Ich Eintreten-- - -Mein Sohn!-
- Introduktion (Zum Canon). -GnÃ?Dige Frau Frau Medizinalrat -; Canon- -Sie Bekommen Mich Noch Lange N
Music reviews of Berg: Lulu; Wozzeck
Music Review: WOZZECK only (Lulu judgement suspended): fine singers, excellent orchestral playing, but Karl Böhm conducting & DGG balances??
Rating: 5 Stars
NB, this review deals with "Wozzeck" only - I've yet to hear the Lulu recording; furthermore, that work at this time is almost unknown to me.
Having received this recording as a gift very recently, I find myself comparing it to Abbado's DVD version as well as (to a lesser extent) Cambreling's DVD and von Dohnanyi's Decca/London CD recordings. [If Abbado's DGG CD recording is derived from the DVD of the same performance, then it can naturally be included in the comparison here... Otherwise, it's through this recording that I came to first be acquainted with this opera over 21 years ago.]
People have written and spoken about Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as being too poetic for the rôle of Wozzeck, making him seem too intelligent (perhaps relative to that part in Act I, Scene 1, where the Captain teases him after tricking him about a gale blowing from South-North - yet he's simply acknowledging the Captain's speaking {"indeed, Sir Captain"}!). Still, it's precisely that poetic side that for me helps humanise this unlucky character and makes Herr Fischer-Dieskau a standout on this recording to the point that nobody else can compare with him in this rôle. That, combined with his warmth of tone and sympathetic characterisation of Wozzeck - for me - carries the day, even over Franz Grundheber's excellent effort for Abbado and Wächter's work for von Dohnanyi. [Neither of these other two gentlemen are slouches or inferior in the least - they're simply outclassed by such a supreme performance.]
Similarly, somebody wrote about Hildegard Behrens as sounding "threadbare" in the rôle of Marie for Abbado. That description for me is better applied to Evelyn Lear on this recording, who also seems at times somewhat strained in this rôle even while having some stellar moments (including some excellent very LOW notes, unusual for a soprano: G and even E below the staff - Behrens gets the G but not the E for Abbado {Act II Scene 1}). Perhaps this inclination to a somewhat mezzo or contralto-ish feeling in her voice accounts for some of the occasional strain although her high notes (e.g., C in Act III Scene 1) leave nothing to be desired 'per se'. Certainly it feels more in character for a woman who at the end has lived more than her full share of life in a disproportionately short time, the result being that she's worn down by her guilt (compounded by her inability to understand Wozzeck's wild visions), despair at the dismal circumstances in which she finds herself, and her premonition of evil to come (with Wozzeck murdering her for her infidelity). [This isn't to say I prefer her over Behrens - quite the opposite: Behrens wins for me due to her somewhat classier handling of the Sprechstimme in Act III, Scene 1, even if it isn't quite as 'cabaret'-tish or likely completely what Berg might have wanted (that Evelyn Lear here captures, no question - this is a matter of taste...). I also gravitate to Behrens on account of her tone and overall handling of the rôle. In the end, it boils down to a choice between intensity for Lear (which she certainly has!!) vs. a youthful type of beauty for Behrens in the end (especially in a work that needs all the beauty it can get)... Thus it's a real toss-up: much as I favour Behrens for Abbado, it's a personal thing for me and there's no question of Lear getting other than the strongest of recommendations here - brava!!!]
Of the other characters, Kurt Böhme (1st Handcrafts-Apprentice), Fritz Wunderlich (Andres) and - particularly! - Gerhard Stolze (an absolutely SUPREME Captain - for me and most certainly others, he owns the rôle as much as Fischer-Dieskau does for Wozzeck!!!) are all excellent, comparing more than well with their Abbado counterparts (though Alfred Sramek, Philip Langridge and particularly Heinz Zednik do Abbado no less proud!). Less convincing to me is Hans Christian Kohn as the "Doktor" (here I prefer Abbado's Aage Haugland, who's a real ham!!), though he certainly has his part mastered; while as far as the Drum-Major parts are concerned, it's another toss-up between Walter Raffeiner for Abbado vs. Helmut Melchert in this case (my vote goes to Raffeiner in terms of somewhat greater intensity, but this is a small difference). Still, overall Böhm has a bit of an edge with his solo-singers (a nice touch is Martin Vantin's beautiful handling of the momentary part of the Idiot!).
What makes me hesitate to give this recording a full 5 stars is Böhm's conducting as well as some of Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft's balances. Apparently, DGG at that time in history favoured having the solo-voices placed well forward, even at the expense of the orchestra getting less than full justice - a bias favoured enough of the time by Karl Böhm himself (an even worse example is the same team's live recording of Richard Strauß's "Salome" in Hamburg several years later with Gwyneth Jones in the title-rôle!). The result is that sometimes the accompaniment is so underpowered as to even become ridiculous, where orchestral details get quite lost (e.g., the military band of Act I, Scene 3 is virtually inaudible at the start and remains so much in the background as to never be appreciated for its full worth; another is the solo-viola in part of Act I, Scene 1). Furthermore, Böhm seems to prefer not to have some of his players - notably the tubist - play notes that, being potentially problematic 'per se' although called for by the composer as his preferences, risk going against Böhm's "light" accompaniment penchant. [This is in complete contrast to Decca/London under Culshaw at that very same time, where the orchestra is considered so important so as to have every detail caught, even if occasionally the voices get somewhat overpowered.] Consequently, the orchestra - very good in itself - some of the times (fortunately not always!) doesn't make the full impact it should - worse yet, Böhm's sometimes inconsistent, as at the end of Act I, Scene 4 (where the voice of the "Doktor" has to fight to be heard!). This is where Abbado wins, especially given how the Wiener Philharmoniker outclasses all but those few orchestras in the very same class as itself (Berlin and/or Czech Philharmonic, perhaps the Amsterdam Concertgebouw - either way, a very small number...)!
This same "lightish" tendency also affects Böhm's interpretation, both in tempi and instrumental stresses - there are times I truly miss the riveting intensity and harmonic richness overall better brought out by Abbado, the principal soloists of Böhm notwithstanding (Fischer-Dieskau as well as Lear, Stolze and Wunderlich help redress the balance compared to what it likely would otherwise have been!). [It's here that Böhm's basic shallowness comes out (compared to Abbado), as with his Wagner and Richard Strauß (for those other two composers I definitely favour Solti or Bernstein {in "Tristan und Isolde" for the latter}, perhaps Karajan too, especially with the latter {Strauß} given Böhm's penchant for making cuts!!) - maybe he should have stuck with Mozart (probably he's a 2nd-rate "Kapellmeister" even there, though I can't be certain thereof since he turned me off enough already from wishing to hear more of him)...]
If it hadn't been that this recording is already underrated overall at only four stars (in part due to some people attacking the "Lulu"-torso portion on account of Evelyn Lear in the title-rôle - whether justly or unjustly, I can't judge at this time...), that would have been my grade for it; it's because of it so being belittled by others that yours truly has given it five (especially since it in the end is "Wozzeck" for which this recording pair is treasured)! Thus, it is strongly recommended - but with the definite reservations regarding orchestral and recording balances! [If you want a recording I'll unreservedly endorse, go for Abbado (assuming the CDs match or surpass the DVD I'm referring to). There also seemed to be (from listening to some parts thereof many years ago) some fine things with the von Dohnanyi recording (Wächter struck me as a very fine Wozzeck!).]
Description of Berg: Lulu; Wozzeck
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