Mack The Knife - Songs Of Kurt Weill

From the Weimar Republic to Broadway, Kurt Weill was unique in achieving Transatlantic success with his satirical, witty, often biting and sometimes very beautiful songs. Many have achieved lasting fame outside their original theatrical contexts. These 20 tracks are performed by Lotte Lenya, Bertolt Brecht, Walter Huston, Gertrude Lawrence, Danny Kaye, Mary Martin, Kenny Baker, Jascha Heifetz, Emanuel Bay, Benny goodman & His Orchestra, Johhny Mercer, Buddy Clark, Greta Keller, Cy Walter, Louis Armstrong and, of course, Kurt Weill himself. It’s obviously fascinating to peep into the past and hear the sleazy sound of Theo Mackeben’s Jazz Orchestra, to listen to Bertold Brecht himself recounting Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife) in a manner at once laid back and venomous, with incredible rolled “Rs” at the end of every word that finishes with that letter. Fascinating, too, to find that Lotte Lenya had a high, girlish sort of voice in those days, pretty but scarcely able to convey emotion.

This album collects 20 original recordings from the years 1929 to 1956 from the collections of David Lennick, Peter Doyle, James Kidd & Houston Maples. The earlier recordings in this collection are exceedingly rare. Some were eight inch discs, known to exist only in a few pressings.


Tracks:

01 -Die Moritat von Mackie Messer (The Ballad Of Mack The Knife) From Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera) (Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht) Orchestrola 2131, mx 1239/A8473. Recorded May 1929, Berlin

02 Bilbao Song From Happy End (Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht) Orchestrola 2311, mx A8718. Recorded c. October 1929, Berlin

03 Die Ballade von der Unzulänglichkeit (The Ballad Of The Futility Of All Human Endeavour) From Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera) (Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht) Orchestrola 2131, mx 1240/A8474. Recorded May 1929, Berlin

04 Alabama Song From Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny ) (Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht) Ultraphon A 371, mx 10710. Recorded 24 February 1930, Berlin

05Surabaya Johnny From Happy End (Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht) Bost 5019, mx 1229. Recorded c. 1942, New York

06 Wie man sich bettet (As You Make Your Bed) From Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny ) (Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht) Bost 5019, mx 1232-C. Recorded c. 1942, New York

07 September Song From Knickerbocker Holiday (Kurt Weill–Maxwell Anderson) Decca 40001, mx L 3666B and Brunswick 8272, mx B 23732-1. Recorded 31 October 1944, Los Angeles and 24 November 1938, New York

08 My Ship From Lady In The Dark (Kurt Weill–Ira Gershwin) Victor 27330, mx BS 060682-2. Recorded 23 February 1941, New York

09 Tchaikovsky (And Other Russians) From Lady in the Dark (Kurt Weill–Ira Gershwin) Columbia 36025, mx CO 29836-1. Recorded 28 January 1941, New York

10 The Saga Of Jenny From Lady In The Dark (Kurt Weill–Ira Gershwin) Victor 27330, mx BS 060683-1. Recorded 23 February 1941, New York

11 Lost In The Stars From Ulysses Africanus & Lost In The Stars (Kurt Weill–Maxwell Anderson) Bost 5017, mx 1240. Recorded c. 1942, New York

12 Lover Man (Trouble Man) From Ulysses Africanus & Lost In The Stars (Kurt Weill–Maxwell Anderson) Bost 5017, mx 1235-B. Recorded c. 1942, New York

13 Speak Low (I) From One Touch Of Venus (Kurt Weill–Ogden Nash) Heritage H-0051. From demo recording c. 1942, New York

14 Speak Low (II) From One Touch Of Venus (Kurt Weill–Ogden Nash) Decca 23296, mx 71493-A. Recorded 7 November 1943, New York

15 Moderato Assai From The Threepenny Opera (Kurt Weill, arr. Stefan Frenkel) Decca DL 8521, mx W 73199. Recorded 30 November 1945, New York

16 Moon-Faced, Starry-Eyed From Street Scene (Kurt Weill–Langston Hughes) Capitol 376, mx 1619-4. Recorded 30 January, 1947, Hollywood

17 Here I'll Stay From Love Life (Kurt Weill–Alan Jay Lerner) Columbia 38294, mx CO 38583-1. Recorded 20 December 1947, New York

18 Green-Up Time From Love Life (Kurt Weill–Alan Jay Lerner) Atlantic ALS 405, mx ALP11289. Recording January 1956, New York

19 Pirate Jenny From The Threepenny Opera (Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht–Marc Blitzstein) MGM E 3121, mx 54-MG-560. Recorded March 1954, New York

20 Mack The Knife (A Theme From The Threepenny Opera) (Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht–Marc Blitzstein) Columbia 40587, mx CO 53818-1. Recorded 28 September 1955, New York

Mack The Knife - Songs Of Kurt Weill
(192 kbps)