Raumwirkung: the case of Wozzeck

Abstract

This review article of the Royal Opera House production of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck 5 takes a close look at the visual scenography (set design by Stefanos Lazaridis) and the stage direction (Keith Warner) in order to assess the concepts and effects of Raumwirkung, or spatial impact, of a modernist work of musical theatre known for its complex vocal and orchestral compositions. The original musical spatialization of sound, intended by Berg, is here critically examined in regard to the scenographic 10 design and dramaturgy, in order to arrive at an aesthetic re-evaluation of contemporary intermedial staging techniques (for example in productions by Robert Wilson and Katie Mitchell) that prioritize visual allegories but also experiment with aural and visual scores in ways that challenge the dramatic cohesion of the operatic.