Gisela May: Brecht Songs by Hanns Eisler and Paul Dessau

Hanns Eisler (Composer), Paul Dessau (Composer), Henry Krtschil (Conductor), Studio Orchestra (Orchestra), Walter Olbertz (Performer), Siegfried Stockigt (Performer), Wolfram Kraua (Performer), Gisela May (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Walter Olbertz, Siegfried Stockigt, Wolfram Kraua, Gisela May
• Orchestra: Studio Orchestra
• Conductor: Henry Krtschil
• Composer: Hanns Eisler, Paul Dessau
• Audio CD (July 26, 1994)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Berlin Classics
• ASIN: B0000035QH
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #561,488 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. From 'Die Rundkopfe Und Die Spitzkopfe': Lied Eines Freudenmadchens

2. From 'Die Rundkopfe Und Die Spitzkopfe': Lied Von Der Belebenden Wirkung Des Geldes

3. From 'Die Rundkopfe Und Die Spitzkopfe': Kuppellied

4. From The Movie 'Kuhle Wampe': Das Fruhjahr

5. From The Movie 'Kuhle Wampe': Mutter Beimlein

6. From The Movie 'Kuhle Wampe': O Falladah, Die Du Hangest!

7. From The Movie 'Kuhle Wampe': Ballade Von Der 'Judenhure' - Marie Sanders

8. From 'Schweyk Im Zweiten Weltkrieg': Das Lied Vom Der Moldau

9. From 'Schweyk Im Zweiten Weltkrieg': Das Lied Vom Kleinen Wind

10. From 'Schweyk Im Zweiten Weltkrieg': Das Lied Vom Kelch

11. From 'Schweyk Im Zweiten Weltkrieg': Und Was Bekam Des Soldaten Weib

12. From 'Schweyk Im Zweiten Weltkrieg': Ballade Vom Weib Und Dem Soldaten

13. From 'Schweyk Im Zweiten Weltkrieg': Lied Einer Deutschen Mutter

14. From 'Mutter Courage Und Ihre Kinder': Lied Der Mutter Courage

15. From 'Mutter Courage Und Ihre Kinder': Lied Vom Fraternisieren

16. From 'Mutter Courage Und Ihre Kinder': Salomon-Song

17. From 'Mutter Courage Und Ihre Kinder': Lied Von Der Grossen Kapiulation

18. Liebslieder: Als Ich Nachher Von Dir Ging

19. Liebslieder: Sieben Rosen Hat Der Strauch

20. Tierverse: Das Pferd

See all 29 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive interpretations of Brecht/Eisler, August 1, 2000

By 

Andrew G. Lang (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gisela May: Brecht Songs by Hanns Eisler and Paul Dessau (Audio CD)

Gisela May was, along with Helene Weigel and Lotte Lenya, one of the definitive postwar interpreters of the music composed for Bertolt Brecht by Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler and Paul Dessau. The husky simplicity of her voice particularly suited Eisler--who despised sentimentality and valued clarity of expression. The power of Brecht's poetry shines through her delivery of songs like the astonishing "O Falladah, Die Du Hangest"--written from the angle of an exhausted horse lying helplessly on a busy street as a mob of desperate Depression-era Berliners carve up her living body for meat. This is not a comfortable image--but Brecht is showing us that economic injustice has uncomfortable consequences. Compare "O Falladah" with the "Song of the Invigorating Effects of Money" and the listener begins to understand that Brecht and Eisler deserve to be remembered not only as talented agitators for Marxist revolution but also as acute observers of human nature. One cannot say if the results of the famous Brecht-Eisler collaboration are timeless, but they certainly have a long shelf life.

Also noteworthy in this album are the "Song of the Moldau" and two anti-war hits--"Song of the Woman and the Soldier" and "Song of a German Mother." Note also the contrast between Eisler's lively, jazz-influenced style and Dessau's sometimes plodding treatment of songs from Brecht's later plays, which constitute the second half of the CD.

Like other albums in Edel's "Berlin Classics" series, the Gisela May CD offers digitally-remastered analog recordings from the GDR (East German) recording industry. One of the ironies of the political and economic collapse of GDR socialism is that its musical treasures--like the songs recorded on this CD--are now reaching new audiences in the West through the resources of the capitalist music industry.