Kurt Weill - Ute Lemper

Advantages: Masterpiece of musical theatre
Disadvantages: Ending is little too "all lived happily ever after"

...relationship with the prostitute Low-Dive Jenny. Mac is arrested and about to be hung at the end when in a deus ex machina (intervention from god), he is saved by the Queen and knighted and granted an annual pension of 10,000 pounds. This CD version has more dialogue links between the songs than previous recordings giving more of an overview to the opera as a whole. The recording has a balanced array of performers staying close to Weill's and Brecht’s aesthetics political intent. Rene Kollo (tenor) plays MacHeath with a sinister overtones, Mario Adorf (baritone) plays Peachum and Rolf Boysen (bass baritone) Tiger Brown. Ute Lemper (soprano), plays Polly Peachum with innocence mingled with defiance, Mirva (mezzo-soprano) is a superb Jenny and Helga Dernesh (mezzo-soprano) gives Mrs Peachum a versility and brilliance. The Berlin RIAS Chamber... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Its brilliantly produced
Disadvantages: Difficult to Categorise

...This album is magic. It grows on you. It is the sexiest thing I have heard in a long time. Ute Lemper is a German stage star who is currently playing the lead female role in CHICAGO in The West End. It is an album that is beyond categorisation , really. I'm not sure if I LIKE this music, but it bugs me, its got inside my soul, I sing certain bursts of it all the time. She has an operatic quality to her voice and the album sees some strange collaborations with some of my favourite musicians. Neil Hannon, from The Divine Comedy, Elvis Costello, Nick Cave. The music is hauntingly beatiful, the lyrics are sometimes disturbing, but it is really worth playing it alone a few times to get a 'feel' for the thing. Its odd, its clever, its beautiful.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: You get the story just by listening to the CD
Disadvantages: Are there any?

...I loved every minute of this album. The songs are so catchy and incredibly brilliant! I can definitely see why it won a Grammy in 2004 for the best compilation soundtrack album. The listing for the soundtrack is as follows: 1. Overture-The Band 2. All That Jazz-Ute Lemper & Company 3. Funny Honey-Ruthie Henshall With Nigel Planer & Cavin Cornwall 4. Cell Block Tango-Ute Lemper & Girls 5. When You're Good To Mama-Meg Johnson With Ute Lemper 6. All I Care About-Henry Goodman & Girls 7. A Little Bit Of Good-C. Shirvell 8. We Both Reached For The Gun-Henry Goodman, Ruthie Henshall, C. Shirvell & Company 9. Roxie, Part I: Soliloquy-Ruthie Henshall 10. Roxie, Part II-Ruthie Henshall & Boys 11. I Can't Do It Alone-Ute Lemper 12. My Own Best Friend-Ruthie Henshall & Ute Lemper 13... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful