Lotte Lenya: American Theater Songs
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Lotte Lenya: American Theater Songs
Release Date: June 29, 1999
MHK60647
CD Album
This celebration of Lotte Lenya includes selections from September Songs and Other American Theater Songs of Kurt Weill, first released in 1957. Produced in the United States, this album stands out for opening a vista onto Lenya's American career. Its twelve selections, ranging from "September Song" to "Lost in the Stars" (the title song of Weill's last Broadway work), encompass the composer's American stage works and document his collaborations with leading dramatists of the day. This disc presents the selections for the first time in stereo! Also heard are "Song of Ruth" drawn from The Eternal Road, the biblical drama-oratorio staged by Max Reinhardt, and duet and instrumental versions of "Mack the Knife" performed by jazz artists Louis Armstrong and Turk Murphy, with Lenya as guest artist.

From the incredible remastered sound to the packaging design, the critical acclaim is unanimous for Sony Classical's pace-setting reissue series, Masterworks Heritage. Encompassing acoustic-era gems from as far back as the 1903 Grand Opera Series as well as landmark mono- and stereo-era performances from the 1920s to the pre-digital 1970s, this series continues with five important releases. Delighted collectors are reintroducing themselves to a treasure trove of legendary performances by their favorite artists of the past, meticulously remastered and presented in special, stylishly designed imported packaging.

In this, the eighth installment of Masterworks Heritage, historic recordings of Wagner sung by Lauritz Melchior and Helen Traubel, as well as stereo recordings of Bartók and Prokofiev under George Szell and his Cleveland Orchestra, highlight the latest releases, which also include the first CD release of the debut recordings of violinists Michael Rabin and Ossy Renardy, a collection of twentieth-century American vocal works, and this installment of Lotte Lenya's authoritative renditions of Kurt Weill's songs. Some of these recordings are being issued on CD for the first time, having been unavailable for decades.

 

Track listing for CD Album


1  September Song from Knickerbocker Holiday
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2  It Never Was You from Knickerbocker Holiday
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3  Saga of Jenny from Lady in the Dark
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4  Foolish Heart from One Touch of Venus
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5  Speak Low from One Touch of Venus
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6  Sing Me Not a Ballad from The Firebrand of Florence
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7  Lonely House from Street Scene
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8  A Boy Like You from Street Scene
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9  Green Up Time from Love Life
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10  Trouble Man from Lost in the Stars
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11  Stay Well from Lost in the Stars
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12  Lost in the Stars from Lost in the Stars
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13  Song of Ruth from The Eternal Road
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14  The Solomon Song from The Threepenny Opera (as performed in Broadway show "Brecht on Brecht")
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15  Song from Mother Courage (as performed in Broadway show "Brecht on Brecht")
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16  Song of a German Mother (as performed in Broadway show "Brecht on Brecht")
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17  So What? from Cabaret
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18  What Would You Do? from Cabaret
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19  It Couldn't Please Me More (A Pineapple) from Cabaret
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20  Married from Cabaret
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21  Moritat vom Mackie Messer from Die Dreigroschenoper
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22  Mack The Knife (Moritat)
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23  Mack the Knife Session takes from The Threepenny Opera
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