Weill: Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny
Witte, Arnold, Stilo, Frei, Schreier; Fricke
Berlin, 1964
$9.95
Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny
Kurt Weill (1900 - 1950)
DESCRIPTION
This compelling performance of Kurt Weill's Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny took place just 34 years after its 1930 premiere—before the opera was banned by the Nazis in 1933. That closeness to the cultural landscape of Weimar-era Germany lends the performance a striking authenticity, arguably more so than Lotte Lenya's more polished but somewhat sterile recording. Erich Witte imbues Jimmy Mahoney with Wagnerian grandeur, while Irmgrad Arnold’s slightly worn vocal quality serves the world-weary character of Jenny exceptionally well. The rest of the cast delivers strong performances, with a young Peter Schreier making an impression as Jack O'Brian.
CAST
Jenny – IRMGARD ARNOLD
Jimmy Mahoney – ERICH WITTE
Leokadja Begbick – GERTRUD STILO
Dreieinigkeitsmoses – GERHARD FREI
Fatty, der Prokurist – HARALD NEUKIRCH
Jack O'Brian – PETER SCHREIER
Bill – KURT REHM
Joe – ROLF KÜHNE
DETAILS
Location: Berlin
Date: 1964
Conductor: Heinz Fricke
Catalogue Number: OD 12186-2
Label: Opera Depot
Number of Discs: 2
In Mono
