Der Brecht und ich - Hanns Eisler in Gesprächen und Liedern

Bertolt Brecht (February 10, 1898 - August 14, 1956) was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director. A seminal theatre practitioner of the twentieth century, Brecht's achievement is equally significant in dramaturgy and in theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the Berliner Ensemble - the post-war theatre company operated by Brecht and his wife and long-time collaborator, the actress Helene Weigel - with its internationally acclaimed productions.

From his late twenties Brecht remained a life-long committed Marxist who, in developing the combined theory and practice of his 'epic theatre', synthesized and extended the experiments of Piscator and Meyerhold to explore the theatre as a forum for political ideas and the creation of a critical aesthetics of dialectical materialism. Brecht developed a technique known as "Verfremdungseffekt" or "alienation effect", which was designed to encourage the audience to retain their critical detachment.

On the album "Der Brecht und ich - Hanns Eisler in Gesprächen und Liedern" the componist Hanns Eisler reports in 25 short episodes about his cooperation with Brecht. Artist like Ernst Busch, Gisela May, Ekkehard Schall, Sonja Kehler and Eisler himself are interpreting some of the most beautiful songs of Brecht and Eisler.

Der Brecht und ich - Hanns Eisler in Gesprächen und Liedern