Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Which Threepenny Opera cd?
BroomstickBoy
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/21/04
#0Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/4/06 at 3:22pmNoticing there are only 2 English 3PO cds on amazon, which one is the best to buy? I've heard through many reviewers it's the 1954 recording. Are there others available elsewhere on the internet?
BSoBW2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/8/04
#2re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/4/06 at 7:53pm
DONMAR.
(or try to get the 1976 Raul Julia/Ellen Greene recording on LP).
A Good Nightmare Comes So Rarely,
P genre
P.S. BSoBW2 knows his stuff. 
leefowler
Broadway Star Joined: 7/13/04
#3re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/4/06 at 8:29pmGet the 1954 recording, one of the greatest cast recordings ever made, with the Marc Blitztein translation that's never been topped (and which was approved by Lotte Lenya, Weill's widow).
#4re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/4/06 at 8:51pm
I'm still bummed that we won't ever get a recording of the recent revival.
Nellie McKay was perfection.
BroomstickBoy
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/21/04
#5re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/4/06 at 10:32pm
I wish they would've recorded the recent revival, too.
I might just get both, since one is Lenya approved (and I'm getting into Ms. Lenya)and the other wasn't edited because of executives from what I read on the threepenny website. www.threepennyopera.org
Was the Greene/Julia version recorded?
#8re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 12:43am
1954 all the way. You can't beat Lotte Lenya and Bea Arthur. It's the absolute best.
The Donmar is okay, but not wonderful.
alba
Chorus Member Joined: 5/16/06
#9re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 1:41am
Though Lenya performed in the Blitzstein translation, she did NOT "approve" that one, even though Blitzstein asked her to--if I'm not mistaken. Nonetheless, the '54 recording is absolutely beautiful--with Charlotte Rae giving some stunning vocal work.
That said, the Donmar's translation of The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is PERFECTION.
#10re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 1:46am
When I saw the revival one women was pretty miffed that Polly now sang "Pirate Jenny" and wasn't like the 'original' with Lenya, when she sang it in the second act.
I was like, eh....ok?...
It's nice to know what you are talking about, isn't it?
Kringas
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/27/05
#11re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 2:11amWell, to be fair, it's not uncommon to see a production with Jenny singing the song. The normal layperson should be forgiven for not absorbing every bit of trivia regarding Threepenny.
#12re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 2:16am
She wasn't quite normal, so I'm not gonna be fair :p
Kidding, somewhat.
Well I think if you complain about something, you should actually have knowledge about the hatered you emote.
BroomstickBoy
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/21/04
#13re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 2:27amI read a review on Amazon for the Dunmar recording and they liked it better because it used the "F Word" many times to great effect. Some people like it because the sound quality is better, but I think Bea Arthur's "Barbara Song" is wonderful, I didn't even recognize her.
#14re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 2:38amAm I the only one who thinks that Lotte Lenya had a terrible voice? The tone was OK, but she had terrible pitch and a vocal range of like, five notes (I'm exaggerating, but still...)
#15re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 2:49ama friend of mine was in the Raul Julia version and said it was magnificant!
Kringas
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/27/05
#16re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 3:26amWell, Lenya's voice was ravaged by years of hard living. She had a lot more range in her younger years.
leefowler
Broadway Star Joined: 7/13/04
#17re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 7:19amComplaining about Lotte Lenya's pitch and vocal range misses the point so completely that it takes my breath away.
BroomstickBoy
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/21/04
#18re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 12:54pm
Yeah, I was about to mention :
"Countless actors have mesmerized audiences with their skills but when it came to singing they stopped the show for all the wrong reasons. Likewise, many a trained singer has beautifully hit all the right notes but could audition successfully only for Madame Tussaud’s. So casting is key. Threepenny can’t be done with pure singers, and it can’t be done with pure actors. Each role calls for specific qualities, and no one should be fooled" <- from threepennyopera.org
Lenya is one of those singers who can reach out and say "I've lived this, here's my story" when she performs.
#19re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 1:42pmThe 1994 London (Donmar) Recording! I have the 1954 one too, but I like the London one MUCH BETTER!!!!!!
BroomstickBoy
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/21/04
#20re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 1:48pmWhat's better about the Donmar recording I ask you?
#21re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 2:11pm
"What's better about the Donmar recording I ask you?"
Everything.
A Good Nightmare Comes So Rarely,
P genre
#22re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 2:14pmI don't understand all the Donmar love. It's okay, but the Lenya version is UNBEATABLE.
#23re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 2:19pmI, too, prefer the '54 version. Come on! Charlotte Rae!
BSoBW2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/8/04
#24re: Which Threepenny Opera cd?
Posted: 9/5/06 at 3:05pm
Besides the sound quality (although some people think the rough soound is very fitting - not that Donmar is anything amazing when it comes to sound)...
Donmar has an all around great cast, besides maybe Sharon Small (Polly). The show is set in the near future - with a King, instead of Queen. They talk about modern things - cell phones, etc. The show also, in a great feat, uses modern (English) slang that is comparable to the way Brecht wrote.
If you saw, or liked, the recent revival you'll note that Cyndi Lauper's Jenny is closer to Tara Hugo's (Donmar) than Lenya's. The Moritat (called the Flick-Knife Song (one use of colloquial British speech)) is more of a terrifying listing of Mack's crimes - ending with a nice little Brecht twist. It isn't as happy as Blitzstein's. It also appears mid-show.
Barbara Song and Pirate Jenny were also given back to Polly. While Blitzstein's "Barbara Song" is great, the song sound so much better with the word "No" instead of "sorry" - and more powerful as well.
Consider also these lyrical differences:
The 54's "Jealousy Duet":
"Come on out, you Gutter Lily, you.
Show your legs, and let's all see how pretty.
I'm always glad to admire beauty -
They're the thickest ankles in the city."
The Donmar's same verse:
"Here she is, the belle of Waterloo
And her legs, they're supposed to be so gorgeous.
I reckon half of the town has seen them -
And the other half as been between them."
Also, the Donmar has the complete score, just about the complete score, as opposed to the '54's alternate orchestrations. (Interesting to note, the actors in the ensemble played the instruments and Peachum's Lied 17 is sung a capella (with Mrs. Peachum) and the ensemble singing the music.
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