Stefan Anton Reck - Berg: Lulu (2010)

The 2001 production of Lulu at Palermo's Teatro Massimo recorded live uses the two-act version of the opera rather than the long-awaited completion of the orchestration of act three by Friedrich Cerha, premiered in 1979 after the death of Berg's widow. It seems like an odd decision and the conductor doesn't offer any very compelling rationale for the choice. The availability of many excellent recordings of the complete opera raises the question of the point of releasing new recordings of the original abbreviated version, so this is not the recording for listeners coming to the work for the first time. The performance is exceptionally taut dramatically, and the musical values are very high, though, so this version could be of interest to fans of the opera who are eager to hear yet another take on Berg's masterpiece.
Stefan Anton Reck illuminates the romanticism of the score, and his reading is impassioned, supple, and texturally lush. Orchestra del Teatro Massimo throws itself into the music with ardor, playing with the authority of a major orchestra. Not many commercial recordings have come from Teatro Massimo, but the whole production sounds like it could have been the work of a major opera house. Of the cast, only Theo Adam (who, at the age of 75, makes a memorable Schigolch), has had a major international career, and Doris Soffel as Countess Geschwitz has had an impressive European career, but all of the singers are immensely impressive. Anat Efraty's Lulu is a powerhouse musically and dramatically, and she maintains a pure and voluptuous tone even in Berg's most demanding pyrotechnics. Ian Storey is a hot-blooded Alwa, and Roderick Kennedy makes an especially strong and idiosyncratic impression as the Animal Trainer and the Athlete. As Doctor Schön, Jürgen Linn is entirely satisfactory, but doesn't quite have the gravity to give the character the weight it needs. Oehms' sound is full and nicely ambient, with good balance. The occasional ancillary noises of the live recording are more than compensated for by the urgent theatricality of the performance.