Search - Weill, Lenya, Mackeben :: Threepenny Opera (Highlights)

A modern Masterpiece

Christian Jorgensen | Denmark | 08/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The colaboration between composer Kurt Weil and poet Bertolt Brecht proved indeed to be very fruitful. Creating some of the most interesting and innovative music to come out of Germany in the 20's. The Threepenny Opera( Die Dreigroschenoper), is a good place to start. The opera tells a good story. About poverty, dreams and crime, all set to Brechts exagarated music. The setting is Londons Soho district. The opera has strong political tones, which was one of the reasons that Brecht had to flee Germany, to avoid being put in a KZ-camp.
Weil/Brecht is an aquired taste, but a taste worth aquiring. Granted it is in German, but it can be enjoyed with the textbook in English, if you do not understand German.
This is a masterpiece that no-one should miss!"

Delightful, not what I expected

Epsilon Eridani | Hilo, HI | 11/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At first I was dissappointed that this CD set did not contain the complete score of Die Dreigroschenoper, but the ambiance, the authenticity, and even the mild hiss, gave me the feeling that I was truly back in 1920s Berlin (not that I was ever there!). Many of the songs are repeated once and sometimes twice with different artists, but this too shows the brilliance of the music. Delightful disk! (Of course I'm once again looking for a good complete score...)"