Dutch National Opera presents
This show was to been seen in March 2017
POIGNANT MASTERPIECE
WOZZECK
Alban Berg
Oper in drei Akten (15 Szenen)
Libretto by Alban Berg
World premiere 14 December 1925, Berlin State Opera
THIS PRODUCTION
New production
Premiere 18 March 2017
Alban Berg’s opera Wozzeck lets us experience how a vulnerable person can be driven to commit a deed of despair. The musical idiom of the opera was extremely innovative at the beginning of the twentieth century.
In short
In composing Wozzeck, Alban Berg wrote one of the most innovative operas of the twentieth century. This poignant work shows how a vulnerable person can be driven to commit a deed of despair. Wozzeck became an instant classic, and its expressive power remains undiminished today.
The story
Wozzeck tells the story of a young soldier of the same name, who is exploited and mistreated by his superiors at the front. Through his humiliation and the terrors of the battlefield, he gradually loses his grip on reality. When Wozzeck returns home and discovers that his girlfriend Marie is having an affair, he becomes extremely confused and there are fatal consequences.
Take a look behind the scenes at Wozzeck with Jacob and Raphael, boys soloists of the Nieuw Amsterdams Kinderkoor
Watch a performance clip (with Eva-Maria Westbroek).
Watch the trailer
Background
Reading Georg Büchner’s unfinished play Woyzeck made a big impression on Alban Berg. He wanted to make it into an opera in 1914 already, but he was called up for military service in World War I. On his return from battle, his experiences enabled him to turn Büchner’s story into a harrowing, dramatic and compelling opera.
In Wozzeck, Berg combined his atonal style of composition with more traditional musical forms, thus creating a unique music style to give an impressive voice to the young, desperate soldier.
Krzysztof Warlikowski
RegisseurKrzysztof Warlikowski (director) is regarded as one of the great theatre innovators of his generation. He caused a sensation in theatres in New York, Moscow, Paris, Munich, Berlin, Brussels and Madrid.
Marc Albrecht
Former chief conductorMarc Albrecht, who was chief conductor of Dutch National Opera and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra| Netherlands Chamber Orchestra from 2009 until 2020, is known not only for his interpretations of works by Wagner and Richard Strauss, but also for his affinity for contemporary music.
Team, Cast and Chorus
- Conductor
- Marc Albrecht
- Stage Director
- Krzysztof Warlikowski
- Set & Costum Designer
- Małgorzata Szczęśniak
- Lighting Designer
- Felice Ross
- Video Designer
- Denis Guéguin
- Choreographer
- Claude Bardouil
- Dramaturg
- Christian Longchamp
- Orchestra
- Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
- Chorus
- Dutch National Opera Chorus
- Chorus Master
- Ching-Lien Wu
- Children's Chorus
- Nieuw Amsterdams Kinderkoor
- Children's Chorus Maaster
- Eline Welle
- Wozzeck
- Christopher Maltman
- Tambourmajor
- Frank van Aken
- Andres
- Jason Bridges
- Hauptmann/Der Narr
- Marcel Beekman
- Doktor
- Sir Willard White
- 1. Handwerksbursche
- Scott Wilde
- 2. Handwerksbursche
- Morschi Franz
- Marie
- Eva-Maria Westbroek
- Margret
- Ursula Hesse von den Steinen
- Mariens Knabe
- Jacob Jutte
Creation
Director Krzysztof Warlikowski is regarded as one of the great theatre innovators of his generation. During his studies, he assisted such great names as Giorgio Strehler, Ingmar Berman and Peter Brook. He has won various awards and directed very diverse works worldwide, ranging from Shakespeare and Sophocles to Kafka and Kushner. Warlikowski is the artistic director of the Nowy Teatr in Warsaw. Marc Albrecht, Chief Conductor of The Dutch National Opera and The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra|The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra is known not only for his interpretations of works by Wagner and Richard Strauss, but also for his affinity for the music of Alban Berg, as evidenced by his convincing performance of Lulu (Salzburger Festspiele 2011).
Christopher Maltman is singing the title role of Wozzeck, and the role of Marie is sung by star Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek.
Music
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Marc Albrecht
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
Along with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra has been the regular orchestra partner of Dutch National Opera since 1985, and is internationally regarded as one of the best opera orchestras. Each season, the two orchestras perform the majority of the opera productions in Dutch National Opera & Ballet. The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra gives a varied programme of concerts in the Concertgebouw and also performs at other major concert halls and festivals in the Netherlands and abroad. Marc Albrecht is the principal conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra|Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and of Dutch National Opera. In recent seasons, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra has had great success with audiences and international press alike, with productions including Gurre-Lieder, Lohengrin, Der Rosenkavalier, Il Trovatore and Hänsel und Gretel. The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Marc Albrecht, received an Edison for their recording of the DNO production Der Schatzgräber, in December 2014.
SIGNING SESSION
On Sunday 26 March, after the matinee performance of Wozzeck, the soloists Eva-Maria Westbroek (Marie) en Christopher Maltman (Wozzeck) will be at the shop to sign your purchases. This signing session is only for people with tickets for the matinee performance!
This production is part of the Opera Forward Festival and is made possible in part by:
Founding Partners Opera Forward Festival
Partners Opera Forward Festival
Mon 01 Feb
New York Times over Lulu
Under Mr. Albrecht […] the Vienna musicians played Berg’s score as if it were a natural extension of Wagner, late Brahms and early Strauss — a completely valid approach.
