I have no affiliation with Bear Family Records, but thought this major
release (11 CDs + book + discography) would be of interest to some. For
more information, including a list of the set's contents, visit the
company's website at:
http://wwww.bear-family.de
LENYA
Bear Family Records BCD 16019 DM 420.--
Lotte Lenya--as the unrivaled protagonist of the Weill/Brecht song
style, she captivated the Berlin theater scene of the late twenties
with her appearances in 'Die Dreigroschenoper' and 'Aufstieg und
Fall der Stadt Mahagonny'. At the time, she was barely thirty years
old.
Lotte Lenya--celebrated likewise later in the United States,
where she became known through her memorable performances of
Jenny in the breakthrough off-Broadway production 'The Threepenny
Opera ' (which opened in 1954, with a record-breaking run of 2611
performances) and Fraulein Schneider in the international Kander
& Ebb hit, 'Cabaret' (which opened in 1966, with a run of 1165
performances).
Lotte Lenya--under her artistic supervision and with her
participation, Philips Records and Columbia Records co-produced
complete musical recordings of some of the most important works
by the team of Weill and Brecht. Dating from 1955 to 1960, these
recordings--which include 'Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny',
'Die sieben Todsunden', 'Die Dreigroschenoper', and 'Happy
End'--remain exemplary even today.
Bear Family Records honors the legendary actress and singer on
the centennial anniversary of her birth, 18 October 1998, with an
elaborate edition, containing eleven CDs and a 252-page, generously
illustrated book. The CD collection presents Lenya's complete
commercial recordings--from her first Orchestrola LPs dating from
1929 to a 45-rpm recording issued by Metromedia in 1970. The set is
accompanied by the first comprehensive Lenya discography, prepared by
Rainer E. Lotz and Richard Weize.
In addition to the classical works, the collection contains a number
of fascinating rediscoveries including 'Invitation to German Poetry',
a recording from 1958 on which Lenya reads German lyric poetry from
the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, and a first-ever release,
Song of Ruth from the Weill/Werfel Biblical drama 'The Eternal
Road', recorded as a track for the 1957 album 'Lotte Lenya Sings
American Theatre Songs of Kurt Weill' but never released.
The collection also offers previously unreleased material from
Lenya's estate: selections from her radio and television appearances,
a selection from Marc Blitzstein's 1933 radio song-play 'I've Got
The Tune', the first half of one of her legendary Carnegie Hall
concerts, a deeply moving recitation of Brecht's Kinderkreuzzug,
and three recordings of anti-Fascist songs by Weill and Dessau on
texts by Brecht and Mehring that were made by the U.S. Office of
War Information in Washington, D.C., and transmitted to Germany
via short-wave radio during the 1940s by the Voice of America.
The accompanying book offers a richly documented chronicle
of Lenya's life based on the reminiscences of her friends and
colleagues, interviews with record producers H. Gerhard Lichthorn
(Philips) and George Avakian (Columbia), a chronological list of
Lenya's various roles, and an extensive, two-part essay by Lenya
specialists Jurgen Schebera (the European years, 1898-1935) and
David Farneth (the American years, 1935-1981). Written especially
for this centenary collection, the essay offers a lively account
of Lenya's accomplishments and discusses her significance for the
European and American theater. Hundreds of photos and documents,
many newly discovered and published for the first time, illustrate
the text and offer a visual journey through the exceptional life
of Lotte Lenya.
A 'must' for all Weill and Brecht fans, as well as anyone interested
in the theater.
Pete Caleb ([log in to unmask])
|
