While there is much for fans of
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau to admire in this set of both the operas of Alban Berg, it is impossible to recommend these recordings.
Fischer-Dieskau is a commanding presence in Wozzeck: powerfully sung and deeply affecting, his portrayal of the doomed everyman still stands with the best ever recorded. And
Fischer-Dieskau is equally affecting in the smaller role of Dr. Schon in Lulu, a subtly nuanced performance of a man doomed by his own overpowering passions. If the rest of the performances were up to
Fischer-Dieskau's level, these would be among the very best recordings of the operas ever made. But for all that he was a superb technician and a wonderful conductor of Mozart, Beethoven, and
Strauss,
Karl Böhm was too lucid for Berg's volcanic scores and while one can hear everything in the scores, one is rarely overwhelmed. And for all that she was a hot soprano in the '60s with a sensual and passionate voice,
Evelyn Lear was not all that accurate and her performances of Maria in Wozzeck and as the title character in Lulu are more heat than light. The remainder of the casts range from the wonderful
Fritz Wunderlich as Anders in Wozzeck to the wobbly Patricia Johnson as the Countess Geschwitz in Lulu. The Orchestra of the German Opera of Berlin plays precisely and powerfully, but with no more than the required dedication. Deutsche Grammophon's stereo sound is as clean and clear as the latest digital sound.