Customer Reviews

Ernst Krenek: Jonny spielt auf

5 star:		(3)
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There is no more dangerous territory for the operaphile than 20th Century opera, and I do not mean late Puccini or Strauss. Most of it can be experienced in an opera house but is definitely not music to be listened to. Thus it was with some trepidation I bought this opera, simply because I have been doing research on Czech Jewish composers and Entartete or degenerate music. Krenek's opera, with its black protagonist and jazzed up music, eminently qualified as such, and thus was part of the by now infamous "Entartete Musik" Nazi exhibit. What we have, instead, is a totally engaging piece, magnificently sung and directed in this recording, part of the illustious Decca "Entartete Musik" series. The five principal are superb, particularly Alessandra Marc as Anita--. Lothar Zagrosek does a conducts a lyrical, playful and totally idiomatic performance. Worth every penny, and them some.

Decca's effort to "revive" this long-forgotten piece is worth all the praise one can heap on it, but the piece is also a fantastic window into a very intestesting musical era

I collect LPs. I have nearly 10,000. Too many to even know what I have. So I bought several thousand from the estate of a collector a few years ago and opened the first box today. And the first recording (LP) is this piece of music. What have I been missing! This is a keeper. Buy it. My vinyl is a different performance, but the music is wonderful.