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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Berg's Lulu, one of my favourite 20th century operas,
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This review is from: Berg - Lulu [Opera in English] (Audio CD)
Berg's Lulu has always been one of my favourite 20th century operas. Act three was completed years after Berg's death, premiered in Paris in 1979, with Boulez conducting and Teresa Stratas as Lulu. I was thrilled. After years of listening to the two acts with it's act three filler, (a musical Venus without arms) this was a revelation. This version, done in English is a real page turner... the music, it's just wonderful... Have our ears adjusted at last to 12 tone music? Who knew Berg's music would sound so beautiful, so accessible when mated with the English language... this text really communicates. It's so multi-layered. This Lulu sits well along side the Boulez's DGG recording with Teresa Stratas. In my dreams, Berg's Lulu has always been on my "opera in English" wish list. My hats off to Chandos for bringing it forward, to English National Opera singer's for there tight knit ensemble work and to Lisa Saffer as Lulu.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb Performance,
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This review is from: Berg: Lulu (Sung In English) (MP3 Download)
I agree with everything the previous reviewer says although it's not that our ears have attuned to serial music, rather we've realised how cleverly Berg often bypassed total atonality and kept the Romantic idiom alive, including great moments of sublime tonality in his work. This recording is very good, although I would recommend putting the tracks through a basic mastering preset if you have the software as the recording itself is a raw digital one with barely any mastering, and this will bring out the richness of the superb reading, especially piano, strings and percussion. That said, the orchestral interpretation is just amazing, possibly one of the best. It ranks high above Boulez's soulless reading. The libretto translation is up to date and the sense of drama in this performance unequalled. If you think though, that Cerha's completion of this score is absolute, it is possibly not. Can the manuscripts be viewed? I'd love to know. For such a monumental piece from the 20th Century you'd think they'd be published by now. Therefore, will we really know whether the third act is long enough? But enjoy this performance - it is recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
High impact,
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This review is from: Berg - Lulu [Opera in English] (Audio CD)
Having been wary of exploring this opera (on CD) for some time (i didn't really like Berg's music until more recently) I decided to take the plunge with this English translation version, and what a great choice. A few words on the opera itself: From the rousing opening start to the brutal end, I found myself glued to my seat listening. The music is intricate, discordant much of the time as you expect from Berg's method of composition, but it makes sense and the recurring themes (melodic and rhythmic) create a coherence which is subliminal. The decadent almost lush waltzy sections are quite appropriate for the subject matter and really for the period of the plot. It is a modernist opera, no doubt, but it is also an extension of operas past. It is difficult to get away from the fact that in a way Lulu is a female Don Giovanni. Her promiscuity, selfishness, narcissism and the way she betrays everyone brutally and her hellish end are uncannily parodying the parody, satire and dark comedy that don Giovanni itself was in its own time (and even resonates today). I don't know if Berg intended it to be a tribute to Mozart (probably not) but I can't help but see the connection in opera historical context. The performance is very satisfying and highly musical. The drama is helped also by the clearly spoken sections, and even when sung the diction is almost perfect. You can't make out every word that is sung, but that is par for the course for opera anyway. The booklet provides ample direction on synopsis and libretto anyway. The cast is convincing, the voices enjoyable to listen to and lyrical when the score requires them to be, and the lead role is as outstanding as it should be given her almost constant presence "on stage". The orchestra is brilliant and the soundstage has good depth and clarity. Hotly recommended
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