1. Berg Lulu Libretto English
2. Berg Lulu Libretto

Centre-point of the palindrome in act 2 Berg was obsessed with symmetry in his works and Lulu is no exception, the whole being perceived as a palindrome or mirror. Lulu's popularity in the first act is mirrored by the squalor she lives in during act 3, and this is emphasised by Lulu's husbands in act 1 being played by the same singers as her clients in act 3. The motifs associated with each, being repeated. This mirror-like structure is further emphasised by the film interlude at act 2 at the very centre of the work. The events shown in the film are a miniature version of the mirror structure of the opera as a whole (Lulu enters prison and then leaves again) and the music accompanying the film is an exact – it reads the same forwards as backwards. The centre-point of this palindrome is indicated by an played on the, first rising, then falling (shown here on the top ).

Berg Lulu Libretto English

Berg assigns specific vocal styles to each character with descriptive orchestral representation, recapitulative episodes to emphasise psychological significance and. Recapitulation includes having single singers performing multiple roles. The use of pitch includes the use of twelve. Tone rows [ ] (also one of the basic cells in 's ) is the basic cell of Lulu and generates I.

Berg Lulu Libretto

Act 3 In a sumptuous salon in Paris, under a false identity, Lulu is celebrating her birthday in the company of her guests. Gambling and stock-market speculation are the main concerns. Threatened with blackmail by a procurer-marquis, and the demands of the athlete whom she would like to have murdered, Lulu is also confronted with the reproaches of Countess Geschwitz, who loves him. Exposed as a murderer, Lulu manages to flee with Alwa, now ruined by his speculations. She is forced to prostitute herself in a London hovel in order to provide for her lover and Schigolch. The first client is a professor, the second a violent black man who kills Alwa with a club when he attempts to intervene. The last client is Jack the Ripper.