Rising in society and then slinking through its seamy underbelly, is Lulu a liberated woman or the ultimate victim? Challenging, unsettling and morally ambiguous, with a shocking yet inevitable denouement, this is one of the 20th century’s greatest works of art.

This new production of Lulu brings Berg’s acclaimed opera back to the Royal Opera for the first time since 1983.

Antonio Pappano, Music Director of the Royal Opera, conducts Lulu using the three-act version finished after Berg’s death by Friedrich Cerha.

Lulu is a masterpiece of 20th-century opera whose score is as rich as its decadent dramatic themes and as taut as its psychological undercurrents.

Taking its lead from plays by Wedekind, Lulu is a stark and gripping drama of a woman whose journey through life provokes extreme actions from those around her as she remains cool and self-centred. Husband, lovers and figures from her past intertwine as she moves inexorably downwards from security and marriage to murder, poverty and prostitution, only to meet death at the hands of Jack the Ripper.

Director Christof Loy accentuates the tense relationships and motivations that drive Lulu along her self-destructive path, utilising a strong cast of international singers in this demanding but rewarding work.

Lulu is performed in German with English surtitles.

Learn more about London operas within the West End.