Claudio Abbado / Wiener Philharmoniker ALBAN BERG Wozzeck

Wozzeck, Alban Berg's first opera, is the ultimate representation of German Expressionism. The lurid libretto, based on a fragmentary play by Georg Büchner, tells the tragic tale of impoverished soldier Franz Wozzeck, his unfaithful girlfriend Marie, and their illegitimate child. Each scene is extremely concise and the story progresses with the sure swiftness of a nightmare. Berg's music is gnarled, acrid, and sometimes violent, expressing the ghastliness of Wozzeck's pathetic existence. But shock value isn't the only thing on the composer's mind. For one thing, every scene is written in a different strict classical form (passacaglia, sonata, rondo, invention), so there's a strong sense of structure as well as plenty of musical variety. For another, Berg adds glimmers of tonality and abundant lyricism to the dissonant and knotted score, emphasizing the story's pathos. Despite its horrific aspects, Wozzeck is a very moving, very human tragedy. This electrifying performance led by Claudio Abbado -- recorded during live performances at the Vienna State Opera in 1987 -- conveys the music's brutality and poignancy with equal force. Hildegard Behrens is an unusually sympathetic Marie, and Franz Grundheber makes Wozzeck's strange neuroses seem almost ordinary, a portrayal that's all the more harrowing for its believability. There's a bit of audience noise, but the up-close-and-personal recording has tremendous impact. (Andrew Farach-Colton)