Kurt Weill - The Threepenny Opera (Ute Lemper, René Kollo, Milva)

For all the Kurt Weill completists here´s another release of the "Threepenny Opera" recordings from RIAS Berlin, November 1988, posted in an older version on this blog some month ago.

Ute Lemper shows with her interpretation of "The Threepenny Opera" her understanding of Weill's vital irreverence. Her star performance within this ensemble cast is a pleasure to behold.

John Mauceri, a passionate advocate of Weill's less well-known works for the Broadway stage, achieves a tight sense of ensemble from the composer's iconoclastic scoring and gives the abrupt transitions of the piece a highly effective, jagged-edged quality. The spoken part of the text is drastically cut, and on the issue of which musical direction to pursue - operatic technique or cabaret campiness - this version sensibly recognizes the diversity of authentic Weill performing styles, making room in its cast for the classically trained Helga Dernesch and René Kollo as well as Ute Lemper's cabaret smarts. The result is engrossing and gives the spotlight to "Threepenny Opera's" subversive blend of irony and humor.

Performers: Ute Lemper (Soprano); René Kollo (Tenor); Helga Dernesch (Mezzo Soprano); Milva (Soprano); Wolfgang Reichmann (Spoken Vocals); Susanne Tremper (Soprano); Rolf Boysen (Bass); Mario Adorf (Voice)

Kurt Weill - The Threepenny Opera (Ute Lemper, René Kollo, Milva)