Opera - Lulu by Alban Berg

Lulu kicks off the Teatro Real's season which looks at the theme of female protagonists. Composed in 1935 by Alban Berg, Lulu was an unfinished opera, as the composer died before he had the chance to finish it. The first two acts were all that remained of the score, and was premiered in 1937 unfinished in Zurich. Following Berg's death, the vocal score completing Act III was written by Erwin Stein, with the orchestration by Arnold Schoenberg at the request of Berg's widow. The completed opera was finally premiered in Paris in 1979.

Based on the plays “Pandora's Box” (as is the famous silent film of the same name starring Louise Brookes) and “Earth Spirit”, Lulu is the tale of a fallen woman who becomes a victim of her circumstances due to the projection and desires of the men who surround her life. Tragedy befalls her as her first two husbands die, the first of a heart attack and the second of suicide – both linked to Lulu's countless admirers and infidelity. Her third husband tries to make Lulu kill herself with a revolver but she shoots him instead and is sent to prison. Lulu manages to escape from prison by her admirers and escapes across the border to France. As a fugitive she is blackmailed in Paris for 20,000 marks or she will be denounced or sent to a Cairo brothel. She flees Paris to end up in London as a prostitute and falls into the hands of Jack the Ripper and is brutally murdered.

Lulu, even as a story is very intense and uncomfortable. It is a story which follows a downward spiral of continuous tragedy. This accompanied by the twelve-tone score of Alban Berg results in an opera which draws on the emotions with such intensity that one watching and listening to this piece can feel every single muscle tense up in the body. This opera is exhausting - the music is exhausting and the story is uncomfortable. This production in the Teatro Real uses a minimalist setting which puts an extra edge to the discomfort this opera makes you feel. It is not an opera for the feint hearted. The night I went to see it the opera house became half empty by the end of the second act, and a significant amount of people had gone by the first. My reaction and that of my friend's after the first act was “we need a drink”. We felt nervously exhausted and tensed up from the drama and music of the first act. However the story was so compelling that we stayed for the full opera.

The cast was excellent. The Soprano who played Lulu and the Mezzo-Soprano as the Countess Geschwitz were both excellent. Nice voices and strong. I can't imagine how difficult this opera must be to perform, with the difficult and unusual modern twelve-tone score and all the drama and acting required for the roles. Considering these factors the cast made it seem effortless, their voices cut through the orchestra clearly, they maintained a good amount of energy both in singing and in acting. Musically and dramatically the show was outstanding.

The production is very good. However this is not an opera one can enjoy easily like a Mozart or Rossini piece. This one takes all the emotions and shoves it in a blender, leaving you an emotionally exhausted wreck. As a piece of art it is fantastic and avant-garde and does what it intends to do – bring the emotions, the pain, the tragedy to the viewer. Worth a one time viewing, but this is not light entertainment.

Dates:14,16 of October
Location: Teatro Real, Plaza Oriente
Transport:Metro line 5,line 2, R (Opera) or line 1, line 3(Sol)
Prices:Without discount (16€-151€) ages 26 or under at last minute tickets get 90% off!