Search - Kurt Weill, Wolfgang Stryi, Jorgen Ruck :: Kurt Weill: The Threepenny Opera

	Kurt Weill, Wolfgang Stryi, Jorgen Ruck Kurt Weill: The Threepenny Opera Genres: Soundtracks, Classical The Threepenny Opera is Kurt Weill's most popular work. Its signature song, "Mack the Knife," is a cultural artifact, sung and played in virtually all musical genres. Many of us are permanently imprinted with Lotte Lenya's... more » « less
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CD Details

All Artists: Kurt Weill, Wolfgang Stryi, Jorgen Ruck, Noriko Shimada, Eva Bocker, Roland Diry, Thorsten Johanns, Nina Hagen, Thomas Fichter, Ensemble Modern
Title: Kurt Weill: The Threepenny Opera
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: RCA Victor Europe
Original Release Date: 10/4/1999
Re-Release Date: 10/11/1999
Album Type: Import
Genres: Soundtracks, Classical
Styles: Opera & Classical Vocal, Historical Periods, Modern, 20th, & 21st Century
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPCs: 743216613328, 074321661332

Synopsis

Amazon.com

The Threepenny Opera is Kurt Weill's most popular work. Its signature song, "Mack the Knife," is a cultural artifact, sung and played in virtually all musical genres. Many of us are permanently imprinted with Lotte Lenya's Sony recording of the opera, so redolent of the decadent, world-weary spirit of the Weimar Republic. This new recording misses some of that spirit but has other, compensating virtues. One is the restoration of the original score in the new Kurt Weill Edition that uses the original instrumentation, adds or deletes numbers, and includes Bertolt Brecht's plot summaries prepared for a 1940 concert version. Other pluses include Max Raabe's oddly sympathetic Macheath and H.K. Gruber's Mr. Peachum, both well-sung characterizations, and Ensemble Modern's virtuoso performance, full of drive and enthusiasm. The sound is wide-ranging and impactful. With one exception, the rest of the cast ranges from good to acceptable. But punk rocker Nina Hagen's Mrs. Peachum is truly awful, with cackles and shrieks galore--a monumental piece of miscasting. So while this recording cannot displace the Lenya version, it's a welcome supplement, adding new dimensions to a familiar and beloved work. --Dan Davis

CD Reviews

Thoroughly decadent...

Charlie Badders | 03/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Actually--and contrary to the reviewer above--I found this a throrougly decadent version of this seminal work. It is also sonically, aesthetically, and textually superior to the Decca and Sony versions. As to Ms. Hagen, obviously she is not every listeners cup of tea. I very much liked her performance as well as that of the other cast members. In short, this is the finest version of the "opera" presently available."

Perfect Weill

Charlie Badders | 01/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ignore the reviewers who find fault with Nina Hagen's Mrs. Peachum, this is a perfectly balanced cast & a beautiful recording, much closer to Brecht's & Weill's aesthetics (and political intent,) than the "classical" appropriations that some of these folks seem to prefer. Perhaps the real meaning of this masterpiece grates a little on their comfy caste dependent nerves! This recording is just as it should be. Bravo, Ms. Hagen!"

Nina rules!

Charlie Badders | West Hollywood, CA USA | 05/18/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First of all I'd like to comment on Dan Davis' remark about Nina Hagen. Calling her a 'punk rocker' is like calling Cher a 'TV star'. With a recording career spanning nearly 30 years to date, Nina has given us so much incredible music of many genres (yes, including some punk rock back in the 80's). She is a versatile, unpredictable, and brilliant performer. With that said, she is the reason I bought Weill: Threepenny Opera. I very much enjoy this CD. It is a very interesting piece of work. If you enjoy theatrical music and are open minded, then this is something you should buy."