Last night we heard Berg's opera "Wozzeck" in a concert performance with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting. It was yet another astonishing rendition from this ensemble, and a truly memorable performance. Berg's opera emerged as truly expressionist in this performance; a virtual nightmare from beginning to end that left us exhausted. Though it was a concert performance, all the singers sang from memory and acted their roles convincingly, even dressed in their concert attire. Because this is a "symphonic opera", the increased presence of an on stage orchestra made it even more symphonic. The famous crescendo on the note "B" was about the loudest thing I have ever heard from an orchestra. I did miss some of the effects of a staged version; for instance, the "snoring" chorus strikes you unexpectedly when you are not in the visual realm of a darkened barracks. And Berg's onstage orchestra effects were meaningless in this context.
Some pictures:
(From Lincoln Center, I didn't take them)
Another thing that struck me in this performance is the extent to which Berg uses so many traditional elements in this opera; ranging from folk songs and marches to fugues. All these are transformed through his expressionist vision, but remain a musically grounding focus during what is an hour and a half of extremely dense and nightmarish music. I remain in awe of how Berg was ever able to create and realize this vision.
After 5 concerts in 7 days, I am ready for a break!
