Unlike traditional opera, Wozzeck is a through-composed work usually performed without intermission. Berg remained faithful to the fragments left by Büchner, setting to music the original words of the play, resulting in a 90 minute work whose pacing owes more to theater than to standard opera. For this reason, Wozzeck looks, sounds, and feels like a sharp departure from traditional opera fare. Berg's innovative musical language, a true pioneer of the free atonality of the early 20th century, serves remarkably well this new operatic form.

In addition, the work addresses remarkably contemporary issues: alienation of the individual, distress of the poor, abuse of the disadvantaged, marital infidelity, and psychological imbalance. The story shows a man’s struggle toward happiness in the face of insurmountable adversity as a metaphor for humankind’s yearning for freedom from life’s oppression. The work pleads for ordinary people who strive for dignity in their uphill battle against abuse and brutality. These overarching themes resonate strongly in today’s global society, where inequalities between rich and poor have increased exponentially over the last century. This project will therefore perpetuate Ensemble Parallèle’s conception of opera as an agent of global resonance within contemporary society, acting as a mirror for its complex values.