Weill Seven Deadly Sins; Symphony No 2
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Kurt (Julian) Weill
Label: Erato
Magazine Review Date: 8/1997
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 65
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 0630-17068-2
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Symphony No. 2 |
Kurt (Julian) Weill, Composer
Kent Nagano, Conductor Kurt (Julian) Weill, Composer Lyon Opera Orchestra |
| (Die) Sieben Todsünden, '(The) Seven Deadly Sins |
Kurt (Julian) Weill, Composer
Frank Kelley, Tenor Herbert Perry, Bass Howard Haskin, Tenor Kent Nagano, Conductor Kurt (Julian) Weill, Composer Lyon Opera Chorus Lyon Opera Orchestra Nora Kimball, Soprano Peter Rose, Bass Teresa Stratas, Soprano |
Author: Patrick O'Connor
This is the first recording of Die sieben Todsunden, Weill’s last major collaboration with Brecht, to couple this ballet-chante with the Second Symphony. It is the most appropriate pairing, for both works were finished in France in 1933, in the months after Weill had left Germany after the Nazis came to power. There are many cross-references in the two pieces, rhythmically and even melodically (although the Symphony has more direct quotes from Der Silbersee, the last piece Weill composed in Germany).
Teresa Stratas has long been admired for her performances of Weill’s songs, and for her searing Jenny in Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny. This performance of Sins was recorded at the same time that Stratas performed it for Peter Sellars’s film of the work (available on video from Decca). That interpretation largely removes the dance element, and replaces it with a typically provocative modern scenario, intercut with documentary footage of urban decay. There is a certain amount of stage noise in this recording, especially in “Lust” – the heart of the work. Stratas’s singing isn’t pretty, but then it’s not meant to be; she uses all her declamatory powers, and projects text and music in such a dramatic and heartfelt way that it puts this version immediately in the front rank.
Nagano’s conducting begins with a very slow introduction, which may sound off-putting to those familiar with the much sprightlier Rattle or Masur versions, the obvious comparisons with this, both with soprano soloists. (The versions by Lenya, the creator, Gisela May, Ute Lemper and Julia Migenes all use the transposed version made in the 1950s, and although they sing in the original keys, both Fassbaender and von Otter as mezzos give Anna I a darker, even more world-weary sound.) As the performance progresses though, Nagano’s control of the drama seems just right – this isn’t a concert reading, but a full-scale theatrical event.
The recorded sound of the symphony is noticeably better than that of Sins. As Weill’s only major orchestral work, it has never really caught on, which seems very strange; the orchestral writing is as sophisticated as anything in his operas, the mood though pessimistic is beautifully conveyed by the haunting opening solo. The symphony shows where Weill might have been heading, had his career not been diverted by history. With Die Burgschaft and Der Silbersee one can hear how he had already advanced away from the jazz-influenced late-1920s period that culminated in the completion of the opera Mahagonny, and was moving towards something more severe and controlled.
With so many versions of Die sieben Todsunden, preferences for voice and coupling are important. Fassbaender and von Otter both have a selection of Weill songs and arias, Reaux with Masur has the Lulu suite, Ross with Rattle, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella. For first-time Weill buyers, I’m inclined to recommend this version over all the others; Stratas is terrific and the coupling is perfect.'
Teresa Stratas has long been admired for her performances of Weill’s songs, and for her searing Jenny in Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny. This performance of Sins was recorded at the same time that Stratas performed it for Peter Sellars’s film of the work (available on video from Decca). That interpretation largely removes the dance element, and replaces it with a typically provocative modern scenario, intercut with documentary footage of urban decay. There is a certain amount of stage noise in this recording, especially in “Lust” – the heart of the work. Stratas’s singing isn’t pretty, but then it’s not meant to be; she uses all her declamatory powers, and projects text and music in such a dramatic and heartfelt way that it puts this version immediately in the front rank.
Nagano’s conducting begins with a very slow introduction, which may sound off-putting to those familiar with the much sprightlier Rattle or Masur versions, the obvious comparisons with this, both with soprano soloists. (The versions by Lenya, the creator, Gisela May, Ute Lemper and Julia Migenes all use the transposed version made in the 1950s, and although they sing in the original keys, both Fassbaender and von Otter as mezzos give Anna I a darker, even more world-weary sound.) As the performance progresses though, Nagano’s control of the drama seems just right – this isn’t a concert reading, but a full-scale theatrical event.
The recorded sound of the symphony is noticeably better than that of Sins. As Weill’s only major orchestral work, it has never really caught on, which seems very strange; the orchestral writing is as sophisticated as anything in his operas, the mood though pessimistic is beautifully conveyed by the haunting opening solo. The symphony shows where Weill might have been heading, had his career not been diverted by history. With Die Burgschaft and Der Silbersee one can hear how he had already advanced away from the jazz-influenced late-1920s period that culminated in the completion of the opera Mahagonny, and was moving towards something more severe and controlled.
With so many versions of Die sieben Todsunden, preferences for voice and coupling are important. Fassbaender and von Otter both have a selection of Weill songs and arias, Reaux with Masur has the Lulu suite, Ross with Rattle, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella. For first-time Weill buyers, I’m inclined to recommend this version over all the others; Stratas is terrific and the coupling is perfect.'
Weill Seven Deadly Sins; Symphony No 2
Discover the world's largest classical music catalogue with Presto Music.
Gramophone Digital Club
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £8.75 / month
Subscribe
Gramophone Full Club
- Print Edition
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £11.00 / month
Subscribe
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.