Thursday, February 19, 2015

Announcing a new Lulu

The Met in New York City has announced a significant new production of Lulu (1937), the Alban Berg opera based on the Frank Wedekind plays which also served as the basis for the sensational G.W. Pabst-directed film, Pandora's Box (1929), starring Louise Brooks as Lulu. Interestingly, Berg had seen the Pabst film while he was composing Lulu, as he noted in a letter to his friend, Theodor Adorno. That influence continues to this day - note the hairstyle of the newest Lulu.

From the Met website:

"William Kentridge returns to the Met for his first new production since the company premiere of The Nose, which caused a sensation when it opened in 2010. The inventive visual artist will stage Berg’s shocking masterpiece about a sexually irresistible young woman whose wanton behavior causes destruction for those who fall under her spell. James Levine conducts one of the operas with which he is most identified; he has led 30 Met performances of the work, including the company premiere in 1977. Marlis Petersen reprises her acclaimed interpretation of the title role, with Susan Graham as the Countess Geschwitz, one of Lulu’s most devoted admirers, and Daniel Brenna, Paul Groves, Johan Reuter, and Franz Grundheber among the men who fall victim to her charms."

Lulu – Alban Berg                                                                                                            
Opening: November 5, 2015
Conductor: James Levine
Production: William Kentridge
Co-Director: Luc De Wit
Projection Designer: Catherine Meyburgh
Set Designer: Sabine Theunissen
Costume Designer: Greta Goiris
Lighting Designer: Urs Schönebaum
Live in HD: November 21, 2015


Above: Watch an interview with director William Kentridge

"Acclaimed artist and director William Kentridge (The Nose) applies his unique theatrical vision to Berg’s notorious femme fatale who shatters lives, including her own. Musically, the masterful score is in the sure hands of Met Music Director James Levine. Soprano Marlis Petersen has excited audiences around the world with her portrayal of the tour-de-force title role, a wild journey of love, obsession, and death. Susan Graham joins a winning cast, including Daniel Brenna and Johan Reuter."

Production a gift of the Kirsch Family Foundation. Co-production of the Metropolitan Opera, Dutch National Opera, and English National Opera. Performance Dates:

    Thursday, November 5, 2015, 7:00 pm
    Levine; Petersen, Graham, Brenna, Groves, Reuter, Grundheber

    Monday, November 9, 2015, 7:00 pm
    Levine; Petersen, Graham, Brenna, Groves, Reuter, Grundheber

    Saturday, November 14, 2015, 7:30 pm
    Levine; Petersen, Graham, Brenna, Groves, Reuter, Grundheber

    Tuesday, November 17, 2015, 7:00 pm
    Levine; Petersen, Graham, Brenna, Groves, Reuter, Grundheber

    Saturday, November 21, 2015, 12:30 pm
    Levine; Petersen, Graham, Brenna, Groves, Reuter, Grundheber

    Tuesday, November 24, 2015, 7:00 pm
    Levine; Petersen, Graham, Brenna, Groves, Reuter, Grundheber

    Saturday, November 28, 2015, 7:30 pm
    Levine; Petersen, Graham, Brenna, Groves, Reuter, Grundheber

    Thursday, December 3, 2015, 7:00 pm
    Levine; Petersen, Graham, Brenna, Groves, Reuter, Grundheber

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