Berg: Wozzeck (Opera in 3 Acts) ~ Grundheber / Behrens / Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Claudio Abbado [Box set]

Hildegard Behrens (Artist), Anna Gonda (Artist), Franz Grundheber (Artist), Aage Haugland (Artist), Peter Jelosits (Artist), Werner Kamenik (Artist), Alban Berg (Composer), Claudio Abbado (Conductor), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Vienna State Opera Chorus (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Vienna State Opera Chorus
• Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Claudio Abbado
• Composer: Alban Berg
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001G9D
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,746 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

This 1988 Vienna State Opera production of Wozzeck is, to my ears, vastly superior to the 1979 performance by Christoph von Dohnányi with the same orchestra. The entire emotional and dynamic range of the music is here, projected in striking relief. The anxieties of the tale are unflinchingly portrayed, but so, too, are the many moments of tenderness and rapturous beauty. The cast--Franz Grundheber plays the title role and Hildegard Behrens portrays Marie--are skilled dramatists as well as voices, even on record. The disc commemorates one of the rare instances when a company has done justice to the dazzling splendor of Berg's conception. --Joshua Cody

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Monument in Vienna Opera history, May 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Berg: Wozzeck (Opera in 3 Acts) ~ Grundheber / Behrens / Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Claudio Abbado (Audio CD)

I own this Wozzeck since it was released. I don't play it too often. But every time the experience is electrifying. I have seen a televised broadcast of this performance as well, which made me decide to buy the CD set.

Seldom have I heard such unity and congruence in a live performance, even watching it on TV or listening at home. In Berg's Wozzeck, every musical and dramaturgical detail is most important, and this production comes very close to being ideal. Abbado and his vocalists and instrumentalists join each other in a splendid performance in which all efforts come beautifully together to create this monumental human drama. I do not want to repeat here what is said by other reviewers. To me, this recording is a document. It documents the supreme musical and dramatical artistry of Alban Berg which is on the same high level as that of the other supreme master of music and drama, Mozart.

This production is also a monument in Vienna Opera history, as it is one of (or THE) highlight of the artistic leadership of Claudio Abbado, who, together with Claus Helmut Drese as Opera Director at the time, is to be credited for the outstanding quality of many productions at the Vienna State Opera - a quality it has lost since both left this house.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most heart-wrenching works of the century, November 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Berg: Wozzeck (Opera in 3 Acts) ~ Grundheber / Behrens / Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Claudio Abbado (Audio CD)

The performers in this opera could not be better. Grundheber is the quintessential Wozzeck, slipping ever further into the madness brought on by his inescapable social position. Zednik and Haugland are a riot in the roles of the captian and doctor -- each using Sprechstimme to color their demented persecutions most deliciously. And Behrens is Behrens -- her Bible scene at the beginning of Act III is one of the few scenes that can make this die hard opera fan's eyes misty.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expressionism at its finest, October 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Berg: Wozzeck (Opera in 3 Acts) ~ Grundheber / Behrens / Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Claudio Abbado (Audio CD)

Wozzeck is one of the finest operas of the century, perhaps of any century. Berg's use of symbolism and leitmotiv rivals that of any composer, working to allow the listener to hear and understand the thoughts and emotions of the antihero Wozzeck. Buchner's story is absolutely heartrending, and Berg's music draws connections that transform the story into a magnificent work of art. Go listen!!!!