Weill, K: Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny

Sung in English

Jane Henschel (Leocadia Begbick), Donald Kaasch (Fatty the Bookkeeper), Willard White (Trinity Moses), Measha Brueggergosman (Jenny Smith), Michael König (Jim Maclntyre)

Orquesta y Coro del Teatro Real, Pablo Heras-Casado

Brueggergosman's Jenny is stunning to behold...[Henschel] has precisely the right dramatic-mezzo instrument for this role, and she can sing sensuously when required...[Easterlin] offers tone... — International Record Review, January 2012 More…

Release Date: 3rd Oct 2011
Catalogue No: BAC467
Label: Bel Air Classiques

Weill, K: Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny

Libretto by Bertolt Brecht
Jane Henschel (Leocadia Begbick), Donald Kaasch (Fatty the Bookkeeper), Willard White (Trinity Moses), Measha Brueggergosman (Jenny Smith), Michael König (Jim Maclntyre), John Easterlin (Jack O’Brien / Toby Higgins), Otto Katzameier (Bank-Account Bill) & Steven Humes (Alaska-Wolf Joe)
Orquesta y Coro del Teatro Real, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid & Coro Intermezzo,
Pablo Heras-Casado

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Stage direction Alex Ollé, Carlus Padrissa – La Fura dels Baus

Scenography Alfons Flores, Costumes Lluc Castells, Lighting Urs Schönebaum

High Definition recording : Teatro Real - Madrid: 09/2010

Bel Air present the hard-hitting new production of Kurt Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny by Catalan collective, La Fura dels Baus, from the Teatro Real de Madrid. Composed in the 1930s by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, this is a mordant satire on capitalism in a society in which the ultimate crime is not having money. In 20 scenes the authors tell the story of a city lost in the middle of a desert and run by three thugs; in Mahagonny food, sex, gambling and violence rule supreme.

The production, by Alex Ollé and Carlus Padrissa of La Fura dels Baus, combines enormous inventiveness, joy and energy with awe-inspiring ferocity.

Perfect casting brings together a group of singers – Measha Brueggergosman, Michael König, Jane Henschel and Willard White – who are also marvellous actors. The Teatro Real Orchestra and Chorus are directed by young Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado, who received the “El Ojo Crítico” prize in 2010, awarded annually to Spain’s most outstanding artists.

La Fura was founded in 1979 as a Catalan street theatre group. Key features of the ‘Furan’ language were already apparent: interaction with the audience, the use of unusual spaces and the adaptation of the show to the characteristics of each space. Their work for the opening ceremonies of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Mediterráneo, mar olímpico brought La Fura dels Baus to an audience of billions throughout the world. Their first foray into opera was with La Atlántida, with frequent collaborator Jaume Plensa, and has developed as far as Wagner’s Ring Cycle and Boris Godunov, a daring reflection on the problem of terrorism, its limits and the manipulation it generates.

Stunning images and more information on www.lafura.com

1080i HD, 16:9, PCM Stereo, 5.1

DTS HD Master Audio

Total timing : 138 minutes

Subtitles : Fr, Eng, Ger, Spa

Reviews

January 2012

Brueggergosman's Jenny is stunning to behold...[Henschel] has precisely the right dramatic-mezzo instrument for this role, and she can sing sensuously when required...[Easterlin] offers tone and diction as clear as a bell, along with a delightfully boyish characterization...[Heras-Casado] has the measure of the piece, as does the Madrid orchestra, which has reached the point where it makes playing a work such as this seem like falling off a log.

8th December 2011

Superbly filmed by Andy Sommer, it makes for uncomfortable viewing, particularly during the current economic crisis. You might, however, find it musically less convincing. There's exceptional conducting from Pablo Heras-Casado, but the singing is variable.

Weill, K: Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny

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