Alban Berg's 1937 final opera—about a voluptuous woman who destroys one man after another before falling into prostitution and being killed by Jack the Ripper—is no longer regarded as the fearsome pinnacle of the avant-garde that it once was. Especially after the unfinished third act was orchestrated by Friedrich Cerha, Lulu has become a repertory staple, although many listeners still find its musical idiom—based largely on 12-tone serial style—to be challenging. One of the great strengths of this 2015 production from Munich's Bayerische Staatsoper is the conducting of Kirill Petrenko, who mines the vein of lush late romanticism in the score alongside its modernist spikiness. The vocalism is also remarkable, with Marlis Petersen easily sailing through the stratospheric demands of her part, and the supporting cast—including Bo Skovhus, who plays both her longtime lover/final victim Schön and Jack the Ripper—nearly as fine. Dmitri Tcherniakov's staging is at times controversial—he omits the silent film that traditionally accompanies Lulu's escape from prison, for instance—but his decision to employ a plexiglass maze as the single set turns out to be a stroke of genius, visually conveying the relationships among the characters (and their mirror-like reflections). Joining other superb renditions of Berg's masterpiece—from Covent Garden (VL-11/10), Salzburg (VL-5/12), and Glyndebourne (VL-1/14)—this is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)
Lulu
(2015) 182 min. DVD: $24.99, Blu-ray: $29.99. Bel Air Classiques (dist. by Naxos of America). Volume 33, Issue 2
Lulu
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