Brecht and Weill

[TOTTIE]

Been struggling to think where to put this, but...
I just wondered if there were any other Brecht/Weill fans out there?
Tottie

 

[Harp]

Ja, ich bin ein fan. Brecht's plays lead to a bit left, but I can
agree with his perspective; Weill's musical accompany is all
the more profound. Brecht has always reminded me of Anton Chekov,
a sort of the Orchard/Opera within The Caucasian
Chalk Circle. Weill is his own composer. A philosopher who set
his innermost thoughts to music. The post WWI era draws....

 

[TOTTIE]

Oh, well, nice to meet you, Harp! I haven't read that many of Brecht's plays, now I come to think of it. I very much like Life of Galileo, although it's about the most inaccurate play you can imagine, historically speaking.

More the songs, that I love. I've seen Ute Lemper and Dagmar Krause sing them... as well as productions of Mahagony, Threepenny opera.

Anyone else out there, then, or is it just us two? Strange I think, because for me it's so quintessentially part of this era.

 

[Harp]

Anyone else out there, then, or is it just us two? Strange I think, because for me it's so quintessentially part of this era.

Do you have any interest in Samuel Beckett or Eugene Ionesco?
Beckett's Cartesian scribbling appeals as does his existentialism
and absurdity. Ionesco seems lost amidst agnostic limbo and his literary
work lacks adequate conviction.

Any favorite Russian 20th Century composers?

 

[Harp]

More the songs, that I love. I've seen Ute Lemper and Dagmar Krause sing them... as well as productions of Mahagony, Threepenny opera.

I believe M is currently in production in LA or San Francisco.
Haven't seen Threepenny since university days.

 

[TOTTIE]

Do you have any interest in Samuel Beckett or Eugene Ionesco?
Beckett's Cartesian scribbling appeals as does his existentialism
and absurdity. Ionesco seems lost amidst agnostic limbo and his literary
work lacks adequate conviction.

Any favorite Russian 20th Century composers?

hmm, to the former, no. To the latter, sorry to be a bit cliched, but I like Stravinsky.

 

[Spitfire]

Another one

You are not alone anymore. I like Brecht and Weill too!
(Bert Brecht actually lived in Denmark in the thirties, when escaping from the nazis.)
I have heard many splendid versions of their material. The latest is on Tom Waits new album...:eusa_clap

 

[TOTTIE]

I knew Tom Waits was interested in this sort of thing, but I don't think I had noticed the new album. Thank you - I shall buy it - I love Tom Waits.

 

[Spitfire]

Its only one song, though - but the whole album (Orphans) is a masterpiece!
Just in time for christmas.

 

[Senator Jack]

Wrote about this mess before your arrival here, Tottie. You may be interested to read about what they did to Threepenny.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=9371&highlight=threepenny

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Naama]

I'm a big admire of the cabaret! So sure, I like Brecht and Weil as well!

Naama

 

[Harp]

hmm, to the former, no. To the latter, sorry to be a bit cliched, but I like Stravinsky.

And no Shostakovich? Adagio Lady Macbeth?

 

[griffer]

Old and new collide in a fiery inferno....

Love German cabaret- stayed in east berlin this year, twice, in hotel built over Brecht's house.

Ute Lemper is awesome.

On a modern retro note, has anyone caught the Dresden Dolls? My wife and I are huge fans.

It isn't just that the albums are great, the shows are unbelievable. Two years in a row for my birthday.

And we got to see them in Prague this year. It felt very surreal seeing a punk-cabaret in such an old world city.

They describe their music as Brechtian punk cabaret. Amanda Palmer plays a Kurzweil keyboard. She modified its bold white label to read "Kurtweil".

 

[Fletch]

Had Brecht fed to me as part of the Residential College program at Michigan. I found him tendentious and shrill as a playwright, compared to Weill, who was a master of subtle moodiness as a composer.

 

[Harp]

hmm, to the former, no.

Brecht seems to have a bit of Hardy's spirit, I'm thinking of
Jude the Obscure as influence.

What say you, Pendle-witch descendant?

 

[TOTTIE]

Brecht seems to have a bit of Hardy's spirit, I'm thinking of
Jude the Obscure as influence.

What say you, Pendle-witch descendant?

Curious thought, I'd say. I had never made a connection. Though I do like Hardy.

 

[TOTTIE]

Wrote about this mess before your arrival here, Tottie. You may be interested to read about what they did to Threepenny.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=9371&highlight=threepenny

Regards,

Senator Jack

Yes, I read that before I posted the thread. Apologies, should I not have done that? There seemed not to be much reference apart from your review, hence my question. It sounds like an awful production, but I suppose those happen... I saw a wonderful one at the Donmar Warehouse in London, years ago.

 

[Harp]

And no Shostakovich? Adagio Lady Macbeth?

Shostakovich adapted to Chalk Circle would be interesting.

 

[feltfan]

There are more Brecht/Weill fans here

What do you think of HK Gruber's interpretations?
I'm not a big fan, but some are. I'll take Lotte Lenya.

The Tom Waits interpretation of the Weill song on the new album
is among those songs collected from earlier singles. This one
came from a Hal Willner production of Weill songs by popular
artists called "Lost in the Stars" from 1985:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_the_Stars:_The_Music_of_Kurt_Weill

 

[Miss Sis]

Had Brecht fed to me as part of the Residential College program at Michigan. I found him tendentious and shrill as a playwright, compared to Weill, who was a master of subtle moodiness as a composer.

Fletch, I agree about Brecht. If I ever have to read The Caucasian Chalk Circle again I'm gonna.....!!!!!