Music: Lulu Arrives in Full Dress

Berg's masterpiece is done justice in Santa Fe

When the Paris Opéra presented the world premiere of Alban Berg's complete Lulu in February, one of the masterpieces of 20th century opera stood revealed at last. Or did it? Berg left the orchestration of the third and final act unfinished at his death in 1935. For years the work had to be performed in truncated form. In Paris, Conductor Pierre Boulez unveiled the full score as completed by Viennese Composer Friedrich Cerha. But Director Patrice Chéreau's eccentric staging reflected as much Chéreau as Berg, and many of the composer's dramatic intentions remained unfulfilled.

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