ABSTRACT
The character of Alwa-Lulu is frequently perceived as provocatively multi-layered, as a woman who acts roles or assumes masks for a gazing male audience. Berg's operatic Lulu has been compared to the erotic character of Mozart's Don Giovanni, in particular with Kierkegaard's description of the Don as a personification of 'nature', of the 'demonic' and endless seductions. Berg's Lulu, indeed, 'may be seen as a prostitute throughout the opera', with her other roles, such as that of a dancer, being 'synonymous in their sexual availability'. In developing an allusive musical environment Berg can explore the character of Lulu as a multiple illusion, as fantasy-projection. Lulu's climactic expressions are parodies of tonal idioms, functioning within her performances of feminine identities. Lulu's entrance is signalled by a tonal allusion, a symbolic chord complex, and also by the instrumental timbre of the piano.
