Alban Berg’s opera “Wozzeck”, which had its premiere at the Berliner Staatsoper in 1925, made a radical break with the opera tradition of the time. In its formal und rigorous stringency of unity, it is in stark contrast to Büchner’s 1837 legacy fragment “Woyzeck”, which consisted of a loose succession of scenes and unfinished scene variations.
However, Berg and Büchner are united in the expressionism of their work.
Wozzeck, deeply humiliated, asks Marie: “Can mortal sin be so beautiful?” Marie, unfaithful, loves Wozzeck, and answers: “Much can be seen by him who has two eyes and is not blind, and if the sun is shining.“ Wozzeck, surrounded by apparent realists, sees, hears and feels “too much” – he is unable to escape the claustrophobic space of his perception, which means the hell of solitude. “Man is a precipice, one becomes dizzy from looking down into it”.
Bert Neumann designed a space reminiscent of the original picture stage on the third floor. In the closeness of that space, David Marton’s staging succeeds in transposing Berg’s seething song onto Büchner’s tenuous texts.
Premiered on November, 8th 2007.
With: Jelena Kuljic, Max Hopp and Sir Henry
Director: David Marton
Music: Sir Henry
Stage and Costumes Supplier: Caroline Rössle Harper
Dramaturgy: Amely Haag
