Since its premiere on 2 June 1937 in Zurich, Alban Berg's second opera "Lulu" has the reputation of being surrounded by scandals. On the one hand, this is due to the dubious character of the subject, the man-eating femme fatale, which Berg had taken from Frank Wedekind's two Lulu tragedies – "The Earth Spirit" and "Pandora's Box" – and combined into one opera libretto. On the other hand, Berg's window had (for personal reasons) repeatedly refused to have the opera completed, which was unfinished when Berg died. This video is of the unfinished two-act torso of "Lulu."
Set in a mountainous and thickly wooded Bohemian landscape in the 17th century, Carl Maria von Weber's opera "Der Freischütz" (The Marksman) tells the tale of Max, a young gamekeeper. Max is in love with Agathe, daughter of the head ranger to Prince Ottokar. To win her hand, an ancient custom requires Max to prove his skill as a marksman on the morning of the wedding by shooting at any object the Prince may choose on the spur of the moment. Max is willing to do anything, absolutely anything to succeed - even at the cost of selling his soul to the demon Samiel.
Recorded live at the Zürich Opera House, 1999.
Live performance, part of Monteverdi cycle staged by Oper Zürich with Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting the Zürich Opera House Monteverdi Ensemble. Staged and directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Live performance, part of Monteverdi cycle staged by Oper Zürich with Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting the Zürich Opera House Monteverdi Ensemble. Staged and directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Este filme não mais é do que uma interpretação, gravada, da famosa ópera "Orfeu", de Cláudio Monteverdi. Considerada por muitos como a primeira ópera criada na história da música, foi aqui levada à cena em 1977, pelo Ensemble Monteverdi da Ópera de Zurique, dirigido por Nikolaus Harnoncourt. A ópera conta o mito de Orfeu, um semi-deus grego com um talento especial para a música. Quando a sua noiva, a ninfa Eurídice, morre, ele decide viajar até ao Tártaro, o mundo dos mortos, para trazer a sua alma e ressuscitar a sua amada. Mas há muitos obstáculos, e as coisas não vão ser fáceis.
