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Berg's Wozzeck
The first opera by Alban Berg, Wozzeck was composed intermittently between 1914 and 1922. The libretto was based on a play by German dramatist Georg Büchner (1813–1837) and adapted by Berg himself. Wozzeck broke new ground dramatically as well as musically, incorporating varied styles of vocal writing ranging from rhythmic speech to operatic singing into a tightly structured musical masterpiece that quickly become one of the most important operas of the twentieth century. Wozzeck's three acts follow the descent into madness of the title character, a German soldier who subjects himself to medical experiments to financially support his unfaithful lover and their illegitimate child. A critical success at its premier at Berlin's Staatsoper in 1925, Wozzeck received its first American performance under the direction of Leopold Stokowski (1882–1977) in 1931. |