Lulu (composed from 1929–1935, premièred incomplete in 1937 and complete in 1979) is an opera in three acts by the composer Alban Berg. The German-language libretto was adapted by Berg himself from Frank Wedekind's two Lulu plays, Erdgeist (Earth Spirit, 1895) and Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora's Box, 1904). Berg died before completing the third and final act, and in the following decades, the opera was typically performed incomplete. Since its publication in 1979, however, the Friedrich Cerha orchestration has become popular. Theodor W. Adorno wrote "The opera Lulu is one of those works that reveals the extent of its quality the longer and more deeply one immerses oneself in it."
| Librettist | Frank Wedekind (The libretto was adapted by Berg himself from Frank Wedekind's two Lulu plays, Erdgeist (Earth Spirit, 1895) and Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora's Box, 1904).) |
| Date of composition | 1935 (1929-1935) |
| Premiered | 1937, June 2nd (Zurich Opera) in Zürich, Switzerland |
| First published | 1936 |
| Type | Opera |
| Tonality | Twelve-tone |
| Spoken language | German |
| Instruments |
Voice (Soprano)
- Lulu
Voice (Mezzo-Soprano) - Countess Martha Geschwitz Voice (Contralto) - A schoolboy (Ein Gymnasiast) Voice (Contralto) - A theatrical dresser (Eine Theater-Garderobiere) Voice (Contralto) - Bob, A valet (Ein Groom) Voice (Tenor) - Walter Schwarz, an artist (Der Maler), Lulu's second husband Voice (Tenor) - A negro Voice (Baritone) - Dr. Ludwig Schön, (Chefredakteur), newspaper editor Voice (Tenor) - Alwa, Dr Schön's son, a composer Voice (Bass) - Schigolch, an old man Narrator, Recitant, Speaker - Doctor Goll (Der Medizinalrat – Medical officer), Lulu's first husband Voice (Bass) - An animal tamer (Tierbändiger) Voice (Bass) - Rodrigo, (Ein Athlet), an Athlete Voice (Tenor) - The prince, a traveller in Africa / The manservant / The marquis Voice (Bass) - The theatre manager Silent Role - The professor / A clown / A stagehand Other - Performers; A fifteen-year-old girl Voice (Contralto) - Her mother Voice (Mezzo-Soprano) - A woman artist Voice (Bass) - The Banker Voice (Baritone) - A journalist Narrator, Recitant, Speaker - The police commissione Voice (Baritone) - A manservant Voice (Baritone) - Jack the Ripper |
| Autotranslations beta |
Alban Berg: Lulu Alban Berg: Lulu Alban Berg: Lulu |