Lulu

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Lulu. Opera in 3 acts by Berg to his own lib. based on Frank Wedekind's Erdgeist (1895) and Die Büchse der Pandora (1901). Comp. 1929–35, but full score of Act III uncompleted. Prod. Zurich 1937. Vienna 1962, London 1962 (SW, visit of Hamburg Co.), Cardiff (WNO) 1971. Lulu, a femme fatale, sinks to prostitution and ends as a victim of Jack the Ripper. Mus. is founded on a single note-row, from which are derived leitmotiv assoc. with certain characters, differing from Wozzeck where each scene has a formal designation. After death of Berg's widow in 1977, short score of Act III was orch. by Friedrich Cerha and opera was given complete for first time at Paris Opéra 1979, cond. Boulez. Also Santa Fe, 1979 (in English), CG 1981. A 5-movt. suite for orch. (Lulu- Symphonie) was f.p. in Berlin, cond. E. Kleiber, 1934.

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