Saturday, 15 February 2014

5 November 2013. Wozzeck at the ROH.



The third time I’ve seen this arresting production since 2002. The story and music are decidedly mood-altering. Wozzeck is a poor man with a woman and small son. He is being experimented upon by the doctor and behaves on a somewhat servile way to the higher-ups of his town. His woman has an affair with a drum major and rather rubs this in his face. Wozzeck’s mind is becoming more and more disturbed and he breaks and slits his wife’s throat, then himself drowning in the pool of bloodied water which to him is a pool of blood. We are left with the child rocking psychotically on his own. Karita Mattila’s voice was powerful and engaging – (indeed she was the only thing that seemed to rouse the gent in the row in front of me from his slumbers!)

No comments:

Post a Comment