Berg - Lulu / Davis, Schafer, Bailey, Kuebler, Harries, Schone, Bardon, Glyndebourne

Starring:Christine SchÃ¤fer, Kathryn Harries, Donald Maxwell, Norman Bailey, Patricia Bardon (II), David Kuebler, Jonathan Veira, Stephan Drakulich, Neil Jenkins, Wolfgang SchÃ¶ne, Glyndebourne Opera
Director: Humphrey Burton
Studio: Kultur Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Alban Berg's second and last opera Lulu is one of the monuments of modernism, constructed around serial technique and containing scenes conceived of as Sonata-form, Suite, and so on. The bliss of Andrew Davis's conducting in this classic Glyndebourne production is that we forget all of this--Davis doesn't gloss over the music's intellectual content, but that's not what we think about as we watch and listen. Part of the production's strength is the prodigious performance by Christine Schafer as Lulu--for once we believe in the character's sexual energy and power; and Schafer makes her real enough as a person that we largely forget the work's intrinsic misogyny. The rest of the cast is admirable too: Norman Bailey brings something perversely sweet to the disreputable painter Schigolch; Kathryn Harries makes the dying words of Lulu's lesbian lover Geschwitz one of the work's lyric high points; David Kuebler is equally powerful as Alwa. The final duet between Lulu and her destroyer Jack the Ripper is one of Wolfgang Schone's great moments, but he is equally good as Dr Schon, the man Lulu marries and kills. This is a performance of energy and beauty, matched by a simple but effective production. --Roz Kaveney
Description
Winner of the 1997 Gramaphone Award for Best Video! This production by the Glyndebourne Festival Opera stars Christine Schafer, Kathryn Harries, and Wolfgang Schone. With its intensely beautiful score, this is one of the greatest operatic masterpieces of the 20th century. Andrew Davis conducts the London Philharmonic. Subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese. Color, 183 minutes.

Berg - Lulu / Davis, Schafer, Bailey, Kuebler, Harries, Schone, Bardon, Glyndebourne
Average customer rating:

Lulu Review

Schäfer - the Lulu of our generation

LULU - Christina Schaeffer

Hair Raising - a Perfect Performance

A stunner.

Berg - Lulu / Davis, Schafer, Bailey, Kuebler, Harries, Schone, Bardon, Glyndebourne
Starring: Christine Schäfer , Kathryn Harries , Patricia Bardon (II) , Jonathan Veira , and David Kuebler
Director: Humphrey Burton , and Graham Vick (II)
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00014NE76
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Amazon.com

Alban Berg's second and last opera Lulu is one of the monuments of modernism, constructed around serial technique and containing scenes conceived of as Sonata-form, Suite, and so on. The bliss of Andrew Davis's conducting in this classic Glyndebourne production is that we forget all of this--Davis doesn't gloss over the music's intellectual content, but that's not what we think about as we watch and listen. Part of the production's strength is the prodigious performance by Christine Schafer as Lulu--for once we believe in the character's sexual energy and power; and Schafer makes her real enough as a person that we largely forget the work's intrinsic misogyny. The rest of the cast is admirable too: Norman Bailey brings something perversely sweet to the disreputable painter Schigolch; Kathryn Harries makes the dying words of Lulu's lesbian lover Geschwitz one of the work's lyric high points; David Kuebler is equally powerful as Alwa. The final duet between Lulu and her destroyer Jack the Ripper is one of Wolfgang Schone's great moments, but he is equally good as Dr Schon, the man Lulu marries and kills. This is a performance of energy and beauty, matched by a simple but effective production. --Roz Kaveney

Description

Winner of the 1997 Gramaphone Award for Best Video! This production by the Glyndebourne Festival Opera stars Christine Schafer, Kathryn Harries, and Wolfgang Schone. With its intensely beautiful score, this is one of the greatest operatic masterpieces of the 20th century. Andrew Davis conducts the London Philharmonic. Subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese. Color, 183 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

Lulu Review.......2007-04-05

This is an amazing performance of Berg's Lulu. The impressive acting and singing may help distract you from music that is quite difficult to comprehend.

Schäfer - the Lulu of our generation.......2006-01-02

This is a great production.
The sets are minimal and the costumes are essentially modern. However, the acting, singing and pacing of this opera is as close to perfect as one could ever hope for. I have the Teresa Stratas / Pierre Boulez recording on CD on DG. Boulez' Lulu is very "in your face" and he revels in the atonality of the work. However, this Glyndebourne production actually makes the work sound more lyrical and natural.

I highly recommend this recording - along with Christine Schäfer's 'One Nigh. One Life' DVD.
Lulu isn't an easy work and it isn't meant to be easy listening. However, as a human drama, it is in a league of its own. Some have said that Christine Schäfer was too young for this part - she sings in a clear, vibrato-free voice (she has a voice perfect for 18th century music) - how her youth and "earthy sexiness" are great assets here, we can easily believe that men will do foolish and criminal things to possess her.

LULU - Christina Schaeffer.......2005-04-26

The best LULU, the real one! The YOU MUST HAVE IT!

Martin

Hair Raising - a Perfect Performance.......2005-01-28

I cannot say enough good about Glyndebourne's 1996 production of Berg's
opera recently (and finally) released on video here in the States.
Initially I believed I'd be disappointed in this unit set. Wrong. A tall,
brick semi-circular wall of red brick with offset white bricks that extend
as necessary into beams, creating an angular stage wide staircase joining
otherwise impossible to use doorways, etc. A bare floor with 3 or 4
concentric circles revolves (sometimes in opposite directions) as necessary
denoting scene changes etc. At its direct center is a vast round hole.
This circular concept is fascinatingly explored bookending Lulu's going
full circle - beginning and ending in the gutter. Interesting too watching
her rise from this hole (a really great visual) in her first scene to
sinking permanently into it in the final. Once again the team of Graham
Vick and Paul Brown shed new light on one of opera's best bad girl
stories. That said light is brilliant is a cause for celebration!

Andrew Davis leads the London Philharmonic in a reading of the score that
may well be the most heavily romantic I've encountered. Berg's exquisite
melodies have never sounded more obvious (and sometimes drawn out -
wondrously so) as here. The jazz elements never sound foreign or archly
intrusive as they sometimes can, but rather all of a piece. The audience -
already berserk at final curtain goes berserker still at Maestro Davis's
bow.

If ever a singer was made for a role it is Christine Schaefer. Ms.
Schaefer's incarnation of this notoriously and fiendishly difficult role
comes off, both in voice and body, as an almost "victoire trop facile" for
she is, quite simply, Lulu. Schaefer exudes a raw, otherwordly femininity
and sensuality - the first notable gal to play by her own rules, facing
odds and consequences with an aplomb most men either find shocking or
forget completely the scruples they once possessed. Brilliantly
costumed Schaefer looks amazing whether she's in leather, lace or latex.
Heck, this Lulu even makes a bath towel look like evening wear. (And
the "painting" with her in almost painted on pants is hot stuff.)

Wolfgang Schoene paints Schoen in broad strokes on a huge emotional canvas
and the payoff is huge! Wonderful throughout, he is particularly
mesmerizing watching this "giant" of a human reduced to putty in the letter
writing scene. He is a helpless bear and he gets his just desserts, alright!

While not vocally - physically, in Kathryn Harries's portrayal of Geschwitz
looks like Frederica von Stade. Her countess is particularly pitiable, a
frightened bird - her act of heroism in the escape comes off with
incredible passion. Also a little creepy since I found it impossible to
decide whether the act was purely selfless or selfish. Her grizzly, filthy
demise following Lulu's horrifying screams were particularly chilling and
heartbreaking.

Stephan Drakulic offers a tremendous portrayal of the Painter. Here we see
Lulu's first victim (not, of course, sequentially) trapped in a fatal
obsession where he's so hot for her he can't keep his hands off her (or his pants on). His Act II with Schoen is really played out bigger than I recall in any other Lulu and it is shattering to watch both ego and love fly out the
window as Schoen repeatedly suggests his sole success was having "married a
half a million" - reducing the artist to nothing in a matter of minutes.
His return as a post punk, metal white trash Negro was initially a
humorous, then chilling turn.

Wonderful to see Norman Bailey as a more human than usual Schigolch, yet
retaining a wonderful bum-like craziness.

There is a wonderful black and white film during Act II's great intermezzo -
showing the action we "miss", Lulu's trial, the Countess's panty exchange,
all in a silent "film noire" style. The film ends back at Glyndebourne in
an empty house with Maestro Davis conducting. Amazing!

I could go on for pages more - but will spare you by saying: if you love
Lulu - you won't want to be without this most exciting DVD. It really is
remarkable and Schaefer gives a performance that simply cannot be missed!

A stunner........2004-10-13

It might be said that the 20th Century brought along opera's entry into the adult age. Little by little, operas started treating "delicate" subjects in a more serious way, one the largely victorian 19th century never dreamt of. Perhaps the trend was started by Richard Strauss, first with Salome and later on with Elektra. And others followed gladly suit, Schönberg with his Moses & Aron, depicting on stage a savage orgy that even today, almost three quarters of a century later, stage directors have a hard time devising tastefully (and perhaps tactfully). Berg was no exception: the 20's saw his Wozzeck and its tormented characters, the 30's this, his unfinished crown jewel with its decadent world of wealth, lust and manipulation that is given here, as is now customary, in the Cerha completion of the last act that Berg's untimely death prevented the composer from finishing.

At last, this production allows for a credible stage Lulu; the Graham Vick production, filmed here almost ten years ago at Glyndebourne's then new theatre does away with the usual overaged singer attempting a rôle that is inextricably linked like few others to the visual image of its portrayer and has for us the excellent Christine Schäfer, not just looking the part (her young, attractive looks undoubtedly helped) but also despatching its fiendishly difficulty with ease and applomb.

The other parts are also effectively cast, rendering this a winning all-round team effort. Katryn Harries is a superior Geschwitz, David Kuebler an intriguing Alwa. The veteran Norman Bailey appears as Schigolch.

The London Philharmonic, not an ensemble one usually associates with 20th century music, play stupendously and are very well conducted by an Andrew Davis that shows an absolute understanding of the score. Vicks's staging encompasses all three acts with minimum changes (more to do with objects on stage rather than actual scenery modifications) and I've read some critics in UK periodicals whose authors at the time (summer of 1996) did not seem to like it much. Granted, there's no actual displaying of the painter's atélier in Act 1 or Paris saloon, London street, etc. in other parts of the work, but to me it flows well; the work is so well directed you don't actually need scenery changes.

This video (in its VHS incarnation, back in 1997) deservedly won the prestigious Award for Best Video granted by the well-known Gramophone magazine in the UK, and may we say very much so especially in this new, DVD edition.

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