7 Deadly Sins / Symphony 2

Kurt Weill (Performer), Kent Nagano (Performer), Howard Haskin (Performer), Frank Kelley (Artist), Herbert Perry (Artist), Peter de Rose (Artist), Teresa Stratas (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Kurt Weill, Kent Nagano, Howard Haskin
• Audio CD (June 24, 1997)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000005E4Z
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #494,610 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Seven Deadly Sins: Prologue

2. The Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth

3. The Seven Deadly Sins: Pride

4. The Seven Deadly Sins: Anger

5. The Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony

6. The Seven Deadly Sins: Lust

7. The Seven Deadly Sins: Avarice

8. The Seven Deadly Sins: Envy

9. Epilogue

10. Symphony No. 2: I Sostenuto - Allegro molto

11. Symphony No. 2: II Largo

12. Symphony No. 2: III Allegro vivace

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but no cigar. Others are better., October 6, 2005

By 

B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 7 Deadly Sins / Symphony 2 (Audio CD)

`The Seven Deadly Sins' or `Die Sieben Todsunden' is probably Kurt Weill's second most often recorded collection of songs, after the songs of `The Threepenny Opera'. I have already done a review of Ute Lemper's treatment of this work of dramatic music. Now, I look at a version sung by Gisela May backed by the Rundfunk-Sinfonie Orchester of Leipzig and a version done by Teresa Stratas, backed by the Orchestre de L'Opera Nationale De Lyon, directed by the highly regarded conductor, Kent Nagano.

As far as the performances of the title piece on these two albums, the one done by Faulein May is clearly superior. It is almost as good, that is, it is almost indistinguishable from the excellent version given to us by Ms. Lemper who is arguably the finest modern interpreter of Weill's songs. On the other hand, Fraulein Stratas' version is much weaker, primarily because I am certain that it was recorded during a stage performance of the piece rather than in a studio. The sound is a lot weaker in places and there is a distinct echo of inferior acoustics on both the voice and Nagano's orchestra. This may be forgiven if Ms. Stratas' interpretation of Bertold Brecht's lyrics was up to the performances by Lemper and May, but it isn't. All three performances are in German.

Putting the centerpiece performance to the side, the Gisela May recording is also preferable to Stratas / Nagano in that May gives us 70 minutes of Weill's vocal works, while Nagano pads the remainder of the 64 minute disk with a performance of Weill's Symphony No. 2. And, while I am a great fan of Weill's vocal music, his instrumental music doesn't do much for me. They all sound like overtures to his theatre music.

On Ms. May's disk is two songs from `Berliner Requiem', four well-known songs from `Happy End', two well-known excerpts from `Mahagonny', and three popular songs from `The Threepenny Opera', including `Pirate Jenny', but not `Mack the Knife'. All these songs are in German.

Ms. May's recording is recommended, but somewhat redundant if you already own all of Ms. Lemper's performances of Kurt Weill's songs. Ms. Stratas' disk offers nothing you will not get from May or Lemper.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, October 27, 2007

By 

Highwayman (Canton, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 7 Deadly Sins / Symphony 2 (Audio CD)

Outstanding recording of Kurt Weill's Second Symphony! This highly-neglected work, melancholy and sublime, deserves to be heard!