KURT WEILL : Die sieben Todsünden; BERG : Lulu Suite (Masur) (1994-2010) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Kurt Weill's Die sieben Todsünden and Alban Berg's Lulu Suite seem at first glance to be odd companions. The two composers appear to have little in common, aside from sharing the same German nationality and language. Yet there were many circumstances, coincidences, and parallel interests between them (described in detail in the liner notes) to warrant programming these works together. While the historical background is important in understanding why these stylistically opposed works were paired, listeners may prefer one over the other. Weill's "ballet with song" is tonal and similar in coloration to other theater works he wrote in collaboration with Bertolt Brecht, and perhaps most closely resembles Mahagonny. The popular style of his songs is instantly accessible, though the unusual libretto is less easily comprehended. Berg's Lulu, as represented by these five extracted pieces, is predominantly twelve-tone and expressionist, and the music's abstract qualities are emphasized in this concert arrangement. Even so, the suite is more approachable and lyrical than might be expected, and it is worth reflective listening. Angelina Réaux adjusts her vocal style according to the different demands of these works, and Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic provide solid accompaniment and satisfying orchestral playing on their own in this live recording. by Blair Sanderson 

KURT WEILL : Die Sieben Todsünden; Mahagonny Songspiel (1993) APE (image+.cue), lossless

KURT WEILL : Die Sieben Todsünden / Der Jasager (Köhler) 2xCD / APE (image+.cue), lossless

 

KURT WEILL : Symphonies 1 & 2 (Swierczewski) (1991) APE (image+.cue), lossless

 

KURT WEILL : Symphony Nº. 2; Violin Concerto; Mahagonny Suite (Zimmermann-Jansons) (1998) APE (image+.cue), lossless

LOTTE LENYA - Lotte Lenya Sings American & Berlin Theater Songs of Kurt Weill (1988) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Employing the same Richard Avedon portrait that graced the cover of the 1970 double-LP The Lotte Lenya Album, this collection is an abbreviated version of that compilation, cut down to fit the length limit of a single CD. The Lotte Lenya Album was nothing more or less than a two-fer repackaging of the single LPs Lotte Lenya Sings Berlin Theatre Songs by Kurt Weill and September Song and Other American Theatre Songs by Kurt Weill. For this version, the last four songs from the former ("Was Die Herren Matrosen Sagen," "Ballade vom Ertrunkenen Mädchen," "Lied der Fennimore," and "Cäsars Todd") have been deleted to bring the total running time down to 70 minutes. Thus, the first eight tracks find Lenya in Germany in 1955, singing mostly in German songs composed by Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht from their stage works Die Dreigroschenoper ("The Threepenny Opera"), Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny ("Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny"), and Happy End, while the last 12 tracks find her in the U.S. in 1957, singing in English songs from Weill's Broadway musicals Knickerbocker Holiday, Lady in the Dark, One Touch of Venus, The Firebrand of Florence, Street Scene, Love Life, and Lost in the Stars. Lenya always disputed the notion that there were two Weills, the Berlin Weill and the Broadway Weill, but she ended up reinforcing that argument with these two LPs, and juxtaposing two-thirds of one with all of the other on this disc does not disprove it. Lenya was the definitive interpreter of the Brecht/Weill catalog, of course, and when she came to make the recordings here she had been singing (and recording) songs like "Seeräuberjenny" ("Pirate Jenny") and "Surabaya-Johnny" for more than a quarter-century. It's no surprise that she sounds assured on the first eight tracks, which use the original orchestrations for small jazz band conducted by Roger Bean. It's a different story with the Broadway tunes that make up tracks 9-20, however, as Maurice Levine conducts a string orchestra on songs for which other singers have done memorable treatments, including "September Song," "Saga of Jenny," "Speak Low," and "Lost in the Stars." With her limited range and German-accented English, Lenya is not the best interpreter of this material, and she does better with the less familiar songs, such as "Sing Me Not a Ballad," which actually was written for her to sing in the unsuccessful operetta The Firebrand of Florence. As such, the decision to excise a third of the Berlin album is all the more questionable. by William Ruhlmann  
Tracklist:

1 September Song 3:45

Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
2 It Never Was You 2:26
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
3 The Saga of Jenny 3:58
Ira Gershwin / Kurt Weill
4 Foolish Heart 3:10
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
5 Speak Low 2:49
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
6 Sing Me Not a Ballad 4:15
Ira Gershwin / Kurt Weill
7 Lonely House 3:36
Langston Hughes / Kurt Weill
8 A Boy Like You 2:26
Langston Hughes / Kurt Weill
9 Green-Up Time 2:34
Alan Jay Lerner / Kurt Weill
10 Trouble Man 3:42
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
11 Stay Well 3:01
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
12 Lost in the Stars 3:59
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
13 Song of Ruth 2:08
Kurt Weill / Franz Werfel
14 The Solomon Song 3:37
Marc Blitzstein / Bertolt Brecht / Kurt Weill
15 Song 3:05
Bertolt Brecht / Paul Dessau
16 Song of a German Mother 2:24
Bertolt Brecht / Hanns Eisler
17 So What 3:21
Fred Ebb / John Kander
Lotte Lenya feat: Harold Hastings
18 What Would You Do? 3:25
Fred Ebb / John Kander
Lotte Lenya feat: Harold Hastings 
19 It Couldn't Please Me More (A Pineapple) 3:17
Fred Ebb / John Kander
Lotte Lenya feat: Jack Gilford / Harold Hastings
20 Married 2:41
Fred Ebb / John Kander
Lotte Lenya feat: Jack Gilford / Harold Hastings
21 Moritat Vom Mackie Messer 2:52
Bertolt Brecht / Kurt Weill
Lotte Lenya feat: Turk Murphy
22 Mack the Knife 3:11
Marc Blitzstein / Bertolt Brecht / Kurt Weill
Lotte Lenya feat: Turk Murphy
23 Mack the Knife 8:34
Marc Blitzstein / Bertolt Brecht / Kurt Weill
Lotte Lenya feat: Louis Armstrong

LOTTE LENYA - Lotte Lenya Sings Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins & Berlin Theater Songs (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A combined digital edition of Die Sieben Todsünden and Lotte Lenya Sings Berlin Theatre Songs of Kurt Weill, a pair of recordings given additional weight and texture as a result of Lenya recording them after visiting Berlin following a 20-year absence from the city -- she was heartbroken on seeing the devastation that had resulted from World War II. Die Sieben Todsünden is a nine-part work for vocal ensemble and soloist, while the Berlin Theatre Songs collection essentially rifles the Kurt Weill canon for highlights, coming up, as expected, with "Moritat vom Mackie Messer" and "Seeräuberjenny," amongst others. Familiarity, however, makes the songs -- and the recordings -- no less a treasure. Lenya works with a small ensemble on the theatre songs, recording in fairly close quarters (going by the photos in the booklet). The recordings sound intimate, and have an impressive energy as a direct result. Lenya's pleasure at performing these songs is also evident -- there is no grandstanding (indeed, she is an example of self-control), but she puts her heart into each of them, giving each song its own special due. Die Sieben Todsünden utilizes an orchestra (conducted by Wilhelm Brückner-Rüggeberg) and a vocal ensemble. Lenya sings the part of Anna, represented as Anna I and Anna II, a character in conflict with herself, her family, and even the extremes of morality. This final collaboration between Weill and Bertholt Brecht takes quite a few interesting musical turns -- there is some extremely creative use of rhythm and dissonance, though not in expected ways, while the general form of the music often hints at strict tradition before unlacing said strict tradition's corsets. It's a wonderful concert work, lovingly recorded (and remastered) with subtle touches and inflections from Lenya that require repeated listenings to catch. The supporting vocalists are highly professional, but don't bring quite the same qualities to the table as Lenya does. This combined reissue is almost perfect, and it truly is unfortunate that there has to be a worm in the apple, albeit a fairly small one -- while the lack of a libretto for the Berlin Theatre Songs portion is perhaps understandable, the lack of even a German libretto for Die Sieben Todsünden is all but inexcusable. by Steven McDonald