Customer Reviews

Kurt Weill - Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny / Lenya · Brückner-Rüggeberg

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This recording, as the above editorial review states, is very faithful to the original spirit of MAHAGONNY and the decadent Weimar Republic. Lenya is absolutely brilliant. First off, in "Ach, Bedanken Sie, Herr Jacob Schmidt:" her voice is plaintiff, yet unsentimental. She delves into the role of Jenny, showing us her pathetic upbringing in this song, and hopping right back up for the sexual manipulation of Jenny's character in the ensuing scene with Jimmu Mahoney. But her real triumph is in Jenny's big, Act Two soliliquy "Denn Wie Man Sich Bettet." It is among the dramatic highlights of the show, and Lenya has stamped her name on this song forever. This score is undeniably inventive, just listen to the underscoring in the opening dialogue between Fatty and Trinity-Moses. Then there is the brass and woodwind fugue that represents the approach of the typhoon, and all of the above-mentioned songs. The tenor portraying Jimmy Mahoney on this album is of very good voice, and it shows in his "Duet of the Cranes" with Lenya, as well as his first act two arias. The three woodcutter's make a good harmonic combination in "Wunderbar ist des Heraufkommen des Abends--," and this, along with the "Crane Duet" and the chorus act two opening chorale, poses as one of the few calm, peaceful moments in this in-your-face ferocity (the chorus sounds beautiful in their act two opener). The only quibbles that I have with this album are the quick tempos (which was neccesary to fit the score on two long-playing records in its original 1958 release), and a few spots where Weill's original orchestrations have been tampered with. Other than that this is a highly enjoyable recording, and a good introduction to one of the few masterpieces among 20th Century Opera that was not by Menotti or Stravinsky.

Truly this is Weill's masterpiece, and perhaps one of Bert Brecht's best, too. If a drunk Ferruchio Busoni wrote Dixieland jazz, this probably would be the result. I also have the Capriccio CD, and despite it's superior fidelity, the performances don't compare. (Except for the restoration of the "bordello-scene"; omitted in this recording.) In the Capriccio CD, the singing is pompous, more befitting an inflated "Rienzi"; in this vintage recording, the performance is probably closer to Weill's conception. Doors freaks will enjoy the "Alabama-Song"; while political historians will notice a clever foreshadowing of the maniacal reign of Hitler. This is the quintissential Weill--forget Dreigroschenoper! The omitted star is for mono sound, but one hardly notices the limitation.

Don't be 'afraid' of this exciting music-theatre work even if your idea of opera is only hurdy-gurdy-verdi. It is melodic and jazzy and very exciting. The performances are first rate: real singing ACTORS! (inc. Weill's widow, Lotte Lenya). The recording was made in the 1950's but the sound is terrific. Everytime I listen to it (and I listen far more than I ever thought I would) I get chills.

*sigh* This is a fantastic and epic recording. I sat myself down with the translated lyrics and took two days to listen to it. It's a mockery of the American Musical, of capitalism, of socialism, of the values mankind pretends to hold dear... I was thoroughly blown away.

As a sixteen year old kid, I had bought the original CBS Masterworks LP set of " . . . Mahagonny," and practically played it down to the grooves.

A half-century later, I finally purchased the two-CD set. Kurt Weill's widow, Lotte Lenya, supervised the 1956 recording sessions, so you can be sure it sounds as close to the 1927 original production as possible. The thick booklet insert contains the opera lyrics in three languages, and a lot of information about the work's history, with black and white photos from the original production.

For anyone interested in Weill's music, and a historically interesting look at the arts of Weimar Germany in the late '20's, this is a must-have.