by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi

Teatro alla Scala concludes its operatic season with Alan Berg, who adapted into an opera the play Woyzeck by Georg Büchner. The production debuted in 1997 under the direction of maestro Giuseppe Sinopoli. In this occasion Ingo Metzmacher conducted the music through a representation that adopts the very same mise en scène by Jürgen Flimm.
Wozzeck is crucial for the music of the 20th century, with its harmonic asperities, arduous rhythmic joints, along with a complex and intricate compositional style. Soprano Ricarda Merbeth shines on the bare stage, with her acute pitch, as her co-star Michael Volle plastically and vividly portrays the multifaceted Wozzeck. Torment and anguish are captured in every vocal delivery by the German baritone. Captain Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke is not as effective, whereas Michael Laurenz, playing Andres and Rudolf Johann Scahsching as Der Narr are effective in blending in with the protagonist’s performance. The Doktor played by Alain Coulombe is elegantly expressive but vocally weak, contrarily to Roberto Saccà who majestically embodies the role of Tambourmajor. Andreas Hörl and Modestas Sedlevicius are appealing as the two Handwerksbursche and, despite the minor role, Marie-Ange Todorovitch makes a magnificent Margret.
By and large the cast is commendable as it embodies the prominent themes of militarism, callousness, social exploitation, and sadism during the war. But the real protagonist is the orchestra, that with fluidity an apparent spontaneity epitomises the tension of the story with tragic sumptuousness.
The contemporary opera represented from October 29th until November 13th closes the 2014-2015 season at Teatro alla Scala and anticipates the following season which will see Maestro Riccardo Chailly bringing to the audiences unusual operas such Giovanna D’Arco, Simon Boccanegra e L’Enfant et le Sortileges.

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