Alfred Drake - Down In The Valley - Music By Kurt Weill (1950)

Here is one of Kurt Weill's less well-known efforts. It was his last composition, and he was supervising this 1949 recording when he died.

Despite this being a 10-inch record, it contains the complete "ballad opera," which lasted only about 45 minutes. Weill intended it for performance by amateurs. Nonetheless, the lead in this version is Alfred Drake, hardly an beginner. It's a superb performance. All the more odd, then, that this version is not in print and may never have been reissued since its initial publication. However, a performance from a few years later has been out at least twice, including now. It's in my collection, but although I haven't heard it for some years, I don't think it is better than this one.

The story involves an evil, rapacious capitalist who is killed in self-defense by Drake's man of the people, who then is sent off to meet his fate at the hands of the state. A period piece that makes liberal use of familiar tunes like Down in the Valley.

The basic sound here is pretty good, but my pressing must have been owned by either a Weill lover or a stalwart of the Old Left. It's as beaten down as Drake's proletariat character. But it's listenable, although I must apologize for the groove damage near the end of the piece.

Thanks to the original poster on http://big10inchrecord.blogspot.com/.


Tracklist:

01. Down In The Valley Side 1 (Down In The Valley; The Lonseme Dove)

02. Down In The Valley Side 2 (Hop Up; My Ladies; Other)

Alfred Drake - Down In The Valley - Music By Kurt Weill (1950)
(256 kbps, cover art included)