And it's a very authentic performance as Boehm knew Berg and was coached by him when he first rehearsed the opera in Darmstadt in the late 1920s. That certainly helps the recording to maintain its reference status.
OMG “Screaming unbelievable masterpiece” says it all. My mom bought me this recording when I was in high school. I couldn’t get over it. I did a presentation on it to my humanities class. Mouths were agape afterward. My first time in the theater was with Anja Silja as Marie. Very Little sleep was had after that performance. For me, the Böhm remains sui generis. Thank you, Dave. 🙏🙏🙌🙌🫶
I love this recording. It had (has) substance and soul. Glad this is a reference recording because it certainly has earned its place in the reference recording hall of fame. And I love your priceless comment on Alien, "[now] it's part of our normal daily experiences." You continue to amaze m at just how much commentary you can condense into a short phrase.
My introduction to "Wozzeck" was a production of Buchner's play ("Woyzek") done by The Bread and Puppet Theatre in some lower east side NY basement back in 1980. It remains the most arresting piece of theatre I've ever seen. I subsequently discovered Berg's opera. It had the same effect, and it's the only work of opera I ever listen to.
Robert Levine says it's a studio performance On Classics Today. The Lulu, to which was coupled, was a live performance. Hope this helps. Many thanks David.
The Lulu is indeed live from the auditorium of the Deutsche Oper Berlin with some stage noise, coughing and even laughing from the public. It is a gorgeous recording, better than Boulez, unfortunately without the completed 3rd act.
Cool video! I've got a "Wozzeck" story to pass along, since the man that told it to me is no longer with us. I had the enormous pleasure of being a student of David Raksin, composer of "Laura" for quite some time. He was a student of Schoenberg and passed out score after score of music he'd written for many films and television series. The scores were thick as glue -- amazing stuff -- and, like you said, WE'VE ALL HEARD IT, millions of hours of it, since early black-&-white movies onward. Atonal music that portrays all the emotions you expect in movies, but you may not be aware of it. The strings play with all the emotion you hear in early recordings of Tchaikovsky, but it's not necessarily tonal. Anyway, David Raksin was a delightful fellow and HERE'S HIS "Wozzeck" story: He worked with scores of directors but one day a new director (new to him) was talking about his film when David asked him what kind of music he would like. The director said, "I want WOZZECK!" Delighted, he later had the director at his home to discuss the film. David walked over to his record player and put on Wozzeck. (I wonder which recording -- likely this one) After a few minutes, the director asked, "What's this playing?" David said, "It's Wozzeck." The director responded, "Turn it off!!!" Turns out, the director had heard that "Wozzeck" was the latest thing, the cutting edge, and that's what he wanted. But he had never heard it before. Anyway, fun story. I didn't tell it quite as well as David Raksin did. The director said something like, "What is this #$%!!!???" Likewise, Earle Hagen was another of my favorite mentors. You might not realize that so many shows like "The Andy Griffith Show" & "The Dick Van Dyke Show" use serial techniques all the time -- it's true. This was a great video.
Enjoyed your reminiscence. Mr. David Raksin was a friend of my mother-in-law. Funny story how we met. My MIL was having a yard sale - the years 1981, in Malibu of all places - and I was trying to help sell some of her old stuff. I saw this affable older guy (Mr. Raksin) admiring this high-end 8mm movie camera. “Twenty bucks,” I said. “Oh, it has to be worth more than that,” he replied. We bantered back and forth for about ten minutes before we realized that we were trying to sell the camera to the another. There was no buyer in this exchange. Funny.
I love this opera so much that I try to own every available version. The Böhm is really in a class of its own. On DVD I couldn’t recommend highly enough the version conducted by Bruno Maderna.
The LP version by Boulez had an extra in the form of a lecture by Noël Goodwin with music examples provided by Boulez, but this was deleted from the CD version, which is a pity because my recollection is that it was an interesting account of the composition and first performance of the work in Berlin in 1925 (conducted by Erich Kleiber). I can't think of any other recording that came with a background lecture but I might be wrong on this.
It's an interesting idea that less classically orientated audiences got the atonal and avant garde idiom primarily from exposure to film music (Jerry Goldsmith's Planet of the Apes that utilises 12 tone note rows and is a well known classic example, and where would John Williams have been in Close Encounters without early Penderecki - if anyone knows the cue The Abduction of Barry it could have been lifted from one of his works)? I'd have to say though I think Berg was probably the first of the Second Viennese group to get some kind of acceptance, if only because his style seemed the most immediately accesible (emotionally engaging, often with quite clear tonal implications - I'm thinking the Violin Concerto, or the Three Pieces for Orchestra). I don't see much indication that Webern's more servere, abstract and often aphoristic style of serialism ever gained a foothold in any kind of mainstream - indeed most of his music (which I find the most compelling of the group) is still widely misunderstood.
You're right about non classical people accepting Wozzeck without problems. I have a friend in Munich who wanted to try opera for the first time and wanted to go with me to the Bavarian state opera on my visit to Germany. The only opera we could attend was Wozzeck which I wasn't sure would be a perfect first exposure. He loved it. Visiting the next year we could only get tickets for Berg's Lulu. He loved it again. I should have remembered my first ever opera experience was Salome. I should not have made assumptions about what opera virgins will like.
That's what I love about art: Berg writing an opera in the 1920s based on a play from the 1830s and Dave Hurwitz saying "That was modern opera in the 1970s." ❤❤❤
Totally agree. Some people will quibble about Fischer-Dieskau but, really, he’s marvellous so show me the hand as they say. Last time they did this on the BBC “Building a Library” this was still the choice (the older recordings generally aren’t these days). I’m always amazed how Wozzeck never gets boring (ie the shock never wears off, and the music is so extraordinary). “Verismo”, exactly, we need to see it in relation to Puccini et al (that’s the context). Went to see it last year at Covent Garden (Pappano, Gerhaher etc) and had to warn my friends I might get upset. No boredom for a minute, even after hearing it so many times.
A former librarian at Bennington College once said that wozzeck was 12 tone music with a human face. This great opera is an intensely emotional work that leaves the audience devastated. Jump in to this recording and open your heart. I believe Bohm also made a video performance.
Oh yes. And just when you think you might understand it you realise you don’t yet… For example I only realised recently that the very opening is a quote from Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. Blink and you miss it but it recurs through the piece. And of course Boehm was a great exponent of that very work
There are some Böhm live recordings, especially the one from the 1955 reopening of the Vienna Opera. Böhm pitched Wozzeck and put it on the map as he did for FROSCH and Ariadne. Incidentally, the Wozzeck doctor scene in this recording has him "coughing" instead of "pissing" ... the real text from Georg Büchner’s early 1800 (!) fragment play was obviously still far too shocking for opera-goers in the 1960s!
Yes, this is certainly the reference for Wozzeck. I've heard a lot of Wozzecks but nobody else summons up quite the power and feeling that Bohm does in the Invention on a Key. Can I suggest that those who collect multiple recordings and aren't afraid of mono, to check out Adrian Boult's 1949 BBC Wozzeck on Somm with Suzanne Danco's uniquely beautiful and affecting Marie. I'd say Boult was every bit on top of the score as was Mitropoulos. His singers are also more accurate, probably because Boult allowed them to refer to the scores in the studio which Mitropoulos didn't in his Carnegie concerts.
The concept of Reference Recording is laid out here in great detail; I totally agree and understand. And for all of these same reasons, shouldn't the Reference of Gurrelieder be Kubelik?..same year as Wozzeck, same label, same quality of recording (Kubelik moves it along in thrilling fashion), same "only show in town"/lack of viable competition aspect. The slightly inferior quality of Kubelik's singers, when considering the historical significance and impact of the overall recording, is negligible. Just my thoughts. LR
No, it should not be Kubelik. The performance has never been viewed with any great enthusiasm, and it had none of the impact that Böhm's Wozzeck enjoyed. It certainly had "only show in town" recognition, but that wasn't enough to make it a reference version, any more than it was for Pfitzner's Palestrina (to take another example).
@@DavesClassicalGuidein the case of Palestrina, I think there are only two studio recordings? The Kubelik is the default reference recording because of its cast and the fact that it’s on DG (and was the first studio recording) and boasts a mighty cast. But if there are only two dedicated recordings, is the RR concept valid in this case?
And it's a very authentic performance as Boehm knew Berg and was coached by him when he first rehearsed the opera in Darmstadt in the late 1920s. That certainly helps the recording to maintain its reference status.
OMG “Screaming unbelievable masterpiece” says it all. My mom bought me this recording when I was in high school. I couldn’t get over it. I did a presentation on it to my humanities class. Mouths were agape afterward. My first time in the theater was with Anja Silja as Marie. Very Little sleep was had after that performance. For me, the Böhm remains sui generis. Thank you, Dave. 🙏🙏🙌🙌🫶
Back in the 1980s i booked to see Wozzeck and bought that recording in order to prepare. It is still my favourite
I love this recording. It had (has) substance and soul. Glad this is a reference recording because it certainly has earned its place in the reference recording hall of fame. And I love your priceless comment on Alien, "[now] it's part of our normal daily experiences." You continue to amaze m at just how much commentary you can condense into a short phrase.
My introduction to "Wozzeck" was a production of Buchner's play ("Woyzek") done by The Bread and Puppet Theatre in some lower east side NY basement back in 1980. It remains the most arresting piece of theatre I've ever seen. I subsequently discovered Berg's opera. It had the same effect, and it's the only work of opera I ever listen to.
The old Hawaii 5-0 TV shows always had awesome soundtracks. Also, the original Planet of the Apes soundtrack -- some of the best atonal music ever.
Robert Levine says it's a studio performance On Classics Today. The Lulu, to which was coupled, was a live performance. Hope this helps.
Many thanks David.
I told you someone would correct me...thanks.
UFA Studio, Berlin 3 & 4 65
The Lulu is indeed live from the auditorium of the Deutsche Oper Berlin with some stage noise, coughing and even laughing from the public. It is a gorgeous recording, better than Boulez, unfortunately without the completed 3rd act.
Cool video! I've got a "Wozzeck" story to pass along, since the man that told it to me is no longer with us. I had the enormous pleasure of being a student of David Raksin, composer of "Laura" for quite some time. He was a student of Schoenberg and passed out score after score of music he'd written for many films and television series. The scores were thick as glue -- amazing stuff -- and, like you said, WE'VE ALL HEARD IT, millions of hours of it, since early black-&-white movies onward. Atonal music that portrays all the emotions you expect in movies, but you may not be aware of it. The strings play with all the emotion you hear in early recordings of Tchaikovsky, but it's not necessarily tonal. Anyway, David Raksin was a delightful fellow and HERE'S HIS "Wozzeck" story: He worked with scores of directors but one day a new director (new to him) was talking about his film when David asked him what kind of music he would like. The director said, "I want WOZZECK!" Delighted, he later had the director at his home to discuss the film. David walked over to his record player and put on Wozzeck. (I wonder which recording -- likely this one) After a few minutes, the director asked, "What's this playing?" David said, "It's Wozzeck." The director responded, "Turn it off!!!" Turns out, the director had heard that "Wozzeck" was the latest thing, the cutting edge, and that's what he wanted. But he had never heard it before. Anyway, fun story. I didn't tell it quite as well as David Raksin did. The director said something like, "What is this #$%!!!???" Likewise, Earle Hagen was another of my favorite mentors. You might not realize that so many shows like "The Andy Griffith Show" & "The Dick Van Dyke Show" use serial techniques all the time -- it's true. This was a great video.
I often whistle Opie's leitmotif. 😅 I kid.
Enjoyed your reminiscence. Mr. David Raksin was a friend of my mother-in-law. Funny story how we met. My MIL was having a yard sale - the years 1981, in Malibu of all places - and I was trying to help sell some of her old stuff. I saw this affable older guy (Mr. Raksin) admiring this high-end 8mm movie camera. “Twenty bucks,” I said. “Oh, it has to be worth more than that,” he replied. We bantered back and forth for about ten minutes before we realized that we were trying to sell the camera to the another. There was no buyer in this exchange. Funny.
@@jonathanparfrey9070 That totally sounds like him! He was absolutely adorable. Fun loving man.
The first opera I ever read, and this was the recording!
I love this opera so much that I try to own every available version. The Böhm is really in a class of its own. On DVD I couldn’t recommend highly enough the version conducted by Bruno Maderna.
Available in a cd set paired with the live Bohm Lulu
It's a wonderful recording. Also love Dohnányi & Silja
Dohnányi with Waechter and Silja beat all others hands down for me (yes, in spite of the trumpet flub in scene 2). Thrilling vocal performances.
The LP version by Boulez had an extra in the form of a lecture by Noël Goodwin with music examples provided by Boulez, but this was deleted from the CD version, which is a pity because my recollection is that it was an interesting account of the composition and first performance of the work in Berlin in 1925 (conducted by Erich Kleiber). I can't think of any other recording that came with a background lecture but I might be wrong on this.
It's an interesting idea that less classically orientated audiences got the atonal and avant garde idiom primarily from exposure to film music (Jerry Goldsmith's Planet of the Apes that utilises 12 tone note rows and is a well known classic example, and where would John Williams have been in Close Encounters without early Penderecki - if anyone knows the cue The Abduction of Barry it could have been lifted from one of his works)? I'd have to say though I think Berg was probably the first of the Second Viennese group to get some kind of acceptance, if only because his style seemed the most immediately accesible (emotionally engaging, often with quite clear tonal implications - I'm thinking the Violin Concerto, or the Three Pieces for Orchestra). I don't see much indication that Webern's more servere, abstract and often aphoristic style of serialism ever gained a foothold in any kind of mainstream - indeed most of his music (which I find the most compelling of the group) is still widely misunderstood.
You're right about non classical people accepting Wozzeck without problems. I have a friend in Munich who wanted to try opera for the first time and wanted to go with me to the Bavarian state opera on my visit to Germany. The only opera we could attend was Wozzeck which I wasn't sure would be a perfect first exposure. He loved it. Visiting the next year we could only get tickets for Berg's Lulu. He loved it again. I should have remembered my first ever opera experience was Salome. I should not have made assumptions about what opera virgins will like.
That's what I love about art: Berg writing an opera in the 1920s based on a play from the 1830s and Dave Hurwitz saying "That was modern opera in the 1970s." ❤❤❤
Totally agree. Some people will quibble about Fischer-Dieskau but, really, he’s marvellous so show me the hand as they say. Last time they did this on the BBC “Building a Library” this was still the choice (the older recordings generally aren’t these days). I’m always amazed how Wozzeck never gets boring (ie the shock never wears off, and the music is so extraordinary). “Verismo”, exactly, we need to see it in relation to Puccini et al (that’s the context). Went to see it last year at Covent Garden (Pappano, Gerhaher etc) and had to warn my friends I might get upset. No boredom for a minute, even after hearing it so many times.
A former librarian at Bennington College once said that wozzeck was 12 tone music with a human face. This great opera is an intensely emotional work that leaves the audience devastated. Jump in to this recording and open your heart. I believe Bohm also made a video performance.
Oh yes. And just when you think you might understand it you realise you don’t yet…
For example I only realised recently that the very opening is a quote from Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. Blink and you miss it but it recurs through the piece. And of course Boehm was a great exponent of that very work
What a great review and tribute to Berg's Wozzeck. Thank you, Dave. Wesley
There are some Böhm live recordings, especially the one from the 1955 reopening of the Vienna Opera. Böhm pitched Wozzeck and put it on the map as he did for FROSCH and Ariadne. Incidentally, the Wozzeck doctor scene in this recording has him "coughing" instead of "pissing" ... the real text from Georg Büchner’s early 1800 (!) fragment play was obviously still far too shocking for opera-goers in the 1960s!
Yes, this is certainly the reference for Wozzeck. I've heard a lot of Wozzecks but nobody else summons up quite the power and feeling that Bohm does in the Invention on a Key.
Can I suggest that those who collect multiple recordings and aren't afraid of mono, to check out Adrian Boult's 1949 BBC Wozzeck on Somm with Suzanne Danco's uniquely beautiful and affecting Marie. I'd say Boult was every bit on top of the score as was Mitropoulos. His singers are also more accurate, probably because Boult allowed them to refer to the scores in the studio which Mitropoulos didn't in his Carnegie concerts.
thx for the heads up on this. Will give it a listen
The concept of Reference Recording is laid out here in great detail; I totally agree and understand. And for all of these same reasons, shouldn't the Reference of Gurrelieder be Kubelik?..same year as Wozzeck, same label, same quality of recording (Kubelik moves it along in thrilling fashion), same "only show in town"/lack of viable competition aspect. The slightly inferior quality of Kubelik's singers, when considering the historical significance and impact of the overall recording, is negligible. Just my thoughts. LR
No, it should not be Kubelik. The performance has never been viewed with any great enthusiasm, and it had none of the impact that Böhm's Wozzeck enjoyed. It certainly had "only show in town" recognition, but that wasn't enough to make it a reference version, any more than it was for Pfitzner's Palestrina (to take another example).
@@DavesClassicalGuidein the case of Palestrina, I think there are only two studio recordings? The Kubelik is the default reference recording because of its cast and the fact that it’s on DG (and was the first studio recording) and boasts a mighty cast. But if there are only two dedicated recordings, is the RR concept valid in this case?