“A fire… A
fire rises from the Earth to Heaven and there’s a terrible noise like trumpets…”
are the hauntingly prophetic words sung by the eponymous character in the first
act of Alban Berg’s opera, Wozzeck. Moments later the mentally ravaged soldier
sings, “Still. All is still as if the world has died” as if he can see the
unavoidable conflict that would be labeled “The Great War” rolling through the
fields, shaking the hollow ground beneath him.
The ten years that preceded World War I was a
revolutionary time in each facet of everyday life. There were enormous changes
in the areas of industry, technology, communication, and mass consumption.
People were traveling farther, seeing more, going faster, and being introduced
a wider range of the foreign cultures. The form and organization of the
previous century were soon in conflict with that of the golden age.
Colonization brought new and improved goods to Europe expanding economic
development and innovation, while creating competition for workers at home.
Women received education en masse
giving them individual opportunities in a wide range of areas which helped to
liberate them from the old hierarchy and having to depend less on men. The economic
modernization and rapid changes in the social fabric created a backlash. The
average European man felt disjointed and out of place. Technologically advanced
machinery created efficiency, but demanded more from men while providing less in
the ways of income, rights, and a sense of belonging. The once indestructible
form of masculinity that had been the bedrock of European society was being
toppled evident in lower birth rates, changing family structures, and a
perceived emasculation. Men at the turn of the century felt as though they were
losing grasp of their place in the world.
The perception of
instability is one of many themes expressed by Viennese composer Alban Berg through
the mentally unwoven and demented character of Wozzeck. Berg, who had at a
young age became a favored pupil of the musically innovative Arnold Schoenberg,
was an inextricable part of the musical and artistic scene in Vienna which focused
on structure, function, and form. Schoenberg, Berg, and the composers of the second
Viennese school sought a return to the elemental aspects of music and language
by replacing the ornamentation and florid lines of classical tradition with the
variation and expansion of simple themes. This refutation of the established
past was spreading to every corner of the artistic community in Europe. The
Goldman & Salatsch building designed by architect Alfred Loos, which sat
across the square from the Imperial palace, created a stir with its stark look
and lack of classical ornamentation that had been a staple of the Viennese
visual aesthetic. Gustav Klimt’s subversive symbolism and motto of naked truth
attempted to break through the carefully constructed façade of ‘good society’.
Klimt clothed his subjects in seductive looks and suggestive poses alongside ornate
fabrics meant to titillate the viewer. And on the heels of that libidinous revolt
was Sigmund Freud delving in to Vienna’s hidden sexual desires in order to
eradicate the dysfunctions that repressed society.
Berg’s opera, based on the Georg Büchner
play ‘Woyzeck’, peeled
back the skin of the pre-war golden age to reveal the growing nervousness,
paranoia, and instability of society which industry, government, and military exploited
for its own gain. The story centers on
the characters of Wozzeck, a poor soldier in a rural German town and Marie,
Wozzeck’s lover and the mother of his young son. Wozzeck, desperate for money,
submits himself to the irrational judgements of his Captain and the unethical
experiments pseudo-scientific doctor. As a result Wozzeck had lost touch with
reality and has paranoid visions that haunt him day and night. He laments being
poor and the difficulty of acting in a moral and virtuous manner without money.
The ignorant Captain, confused by Wozzeck’s response, berates him like a child.
Wozzeck’s interactions with a quack military doctor who spouts unintelligible
scientificac words are similar to that of the Captain. The extra money Wozzeck
earns goes to support Marie, the mother of his son. She too laments her poverty
throughout the opera and wishes for a better situation than what Wozzeck can
provide. Marie soon to the sexual advances of the Drum major she had seen
earlier marching in the parade past her window. Wozzeck, already paranoid and
unhinged, becomes jealous of Marie and her romance with the Drum Major who
demeans him by telling everyone in the army barracks. As Wozzeck loses hold of
the little sanity he has left, Marie reads bible stories about Mary Magdalen,
whom she identifies with and longs for forgiveness. Wozzeck and Marie go for a
walk near a pond. Marie notices how red the moon looks. Wozzeck tells her that
if he can’t have her, no one can and stabs her to death. Wozzeck soon drowns in
the pond trying to clean off Marie’s blood. The opera ends with their son
playing with other children, unaware of his parents’ death.
Director David
McVicar’s restrained stage directions were key in highlighting the wide range of
emotions that the main characters portrayed. Mr. McVicar allowed the music and
text to speak for itself. He did not make the mistake of having too much
action, especially in the larger ensemble scenes. Mr. McVicar staged those
scenes in a way for the audience to keep focus on the story as it unfolded
rather than be drawn away to a purely visual spectacle.
Set and costume designer,
Vicki Mortimer accented the bleak and mentally damaged aesthetic of the opera
with hospital curtains, the full length of the stage, pulled open and closed
during scene changes. She also placed a war memorial of sorts in the middle of
the stage. A shrouded figure lies on its back with an outstretched hand coming
up out of the cover. The back drop is a desolate gray chiseled quarry like
scene of a post-war area as if it’s one large bombed out crater.
Sir Andrew Davis
was at the podium once again and like previous performances, he started out
Wozzeck with the orchestra playing too loud which occasionally drowned out the
sprech-stimme lines of the singers. Fortunately this problem was rectified
early on, whether it was a purposeful decision or Berg’s orchestration, the
orchestra didn’t continue to cover the singers and played with wonderful
dynamic variation and color.
Polish bass-baritone,
Tomasz Konieczny sang the
role of the psychologically brittle soldier, Wozzeck. He has a dark color to
his voice that had no problem being heard in the lower range, but what amazed
me the most was how piercing and silvery his high notes were without sacrificing
the blend of register. Mr. Konieczny didn’t overact the part or come across as
affected and like Mr. McVicar’s direction, he sang the lines and followed the stage
directions with restraint which added to the suspense of the drama.
German soprano, Angela
Denoke sang the role of Wozzeck’s lover, Marie. She has a beautifully rich
tone that easily projected in to the hall. She sounded a little wobbly at the
outset which corrected itself soon thereafter. Ms. Denoke sang with expression,
intensity and dynamic variation. Her characterization wasn’t tortured in the
same way as that of Mr. Konieczny’s Wozzeck, but she was strong willed and less
restrained which was a nice counterbalance for the two characters.
German tenor, Gerhard Siegel sang the roll of
the self-absorbed Captain. Mr. Siegel has a piercingly bright tenor voice that
seems to have been written for him by Berg. His voice naturally sits quite high
and he handled the difficult tessitura of the Captain with little problem other
than a squeak at the outset of the opera. Again, Mr. Siegel’s portrayal of his
character, like his colleagues, was restrained and to the point which served
the opera well. There wasn’t a need for histrionics as the music and story was
dramatic enough on its own.
British bass, Brindley
Sherratt sang the role of the unethical pseudo-scientific Doctor. He was
heard in this season’s production of ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ as Bartolo. I
felt that the role of the Doctor gave Mr. Sherratt more of a chance to showcase
his rich and cutting bass.
German tenor Stefan
Vinke sang the role of the pompous and overly masculine Drum Major. His dramatic
voice projected throughout the hall, but sounded a bit strained at times.
Ryan Center alum
and Lyric tenor, David
Portillo sang the role of Wozzeck’s friend and bunk mate, Andres. Mr.
Portillo sings with a beautifully fluid and agile tone that expressed the
innocent and open character of Andres. His voice, though not small, had a
little harder time being heard against some of Berg’s thicker textures as well
as the large voice of Tomasz Konieczny.
The comprimario
roles were sung nicely by Jill Grove, Brenton Ryan, Bradley Smoak, and Anthony
Clark Evans, with Mr. Smoak who was also heard in the previous production of
Figaro being a standout. He has a rich and evenly balanced bass that is more on
the lyrical side. I was also happy to hear Mr. Evans’ who made the most of his
small role with some impressive high notes.
With the
exception of Mozart’s Figaro, this season has been a joy to attend and I hope
that it continues in the current direction with the upcoming productions of ‘The
Merry Widow’ and ‘Bel Canto’, although I remain skeptical given the past few
seasons’ inconsistent track record especially when it comes to comic operas.
