Lulu

Alban Berg's second opera "Lulu" was premiered in 1937 in Zurich, incomplete, because Berg had died unexpectedly during the composition process. The scandalous story of Lulu was taken from two dramas by Frank Wedekind, "Die Büchse der Pandora" and "Der Erdgeist", which greatly inspired Berg in his adaptation of the libretto. Due to the controversial material and the exceedingly difficult vocal parts "Lulu" was not performed regularly for a long time - and the Austrian premiere took place 25 years after the world premiere. Evelyn Lear, already then a renowned star, gives a breathtaking performance of Lulu - her contemporary colleague Elisabeth Schwarzkopf called Lear's performance in Vienna "one of the supreme achievements of the operatic stage anywhere in the world". At her side the German baritone Paul Schöffl er and heroic tenor Rudolf Schock give highly appraised interpretations of Dr. Schön and his son Alwa. Conducting this Austrian premiere is the distinguished maestro Karl Böhm. The young Otto Schenk took over not only the stage, but also the TV direction for this programme.