[Dixielandjazz] Lotte Lenya & Mack the knife

[Anton Crouch]

Hello all

Many thanks to Steve B for bringing to attention the Moritat ("Mack the 
knife") as it was in the original Threepenny Opera.

Even though Lotte Lenya made the song "hers", it was not so at the start 
- how could it be? Lenya sang the role of Jenny and the Moritat is sung 
by a male street singer. At the premiere (31 August 1928) Kurt Gerron 
sang it and doubled in the role of Tiger Brown, the police chief.

Today it is commonly thought that the principal character, Macheath 
(Mack the knife), sings the Moritat and this mistake was codified at the 
beginning, when Harald Paulsen (the original Macheath) made the first 
recording of the piece in December 1928. Paulsen's recording is 
non-authentic in that he is accompanied by a studio orchestra, not the 
Ludwig Rüth (Lewis Ruth) band of the stage performances.

It wasn't until 1929 that "original cast" recordings were made and 
people outside Berlin were able to hear Kurt Gerron singing the Moritat.

For DJMLers, the main interest in this period would be the performances 
of music from the Threepenny Opera by German dance bands. The a-for 
mentioned Lewis Ruth band (called Die Dreigroschenband in the theatre) 
recorded with original cast members and in orchestral performances and 
we can now appreciate its attack and swing. My favorite performance of 
the Moritat is that by Marek Weber and his orchestra (May 1929) - it 
includes a brief violin/trombone chase chorus. You haven't lived until 
you've heard the Moritat as a pulsating slow foxtrot.

The impression that the Threepenny Opera made in 1928-29 was very great 
and it resulted in a "crossover" to classical music. The General Music 
Director of the Berlin State Opera (Otto Klemperer - yes, that Otto 
Klemperer) commissioned Kurt Weill to arrange a suite for wind 
orchestra. Klemperer recorded the suite twice - with the orchestra of 
the Berlin State Opera in 1931 and with the Philharmonia in 1961.

To stir things up a bit - when Lotte Lenya and Louis Armstrong couldn't 
agree on how "Mack the knife" should be sung at their recording session, 
who had the problem? Lotte Lenya for maintaining a specific tradition or 
Louis Armstrong for his "nobody ever went broke by underestimating 
public taste" approach? When it comes to "Mack the knife", I prefer 
Bobby Darrin to Armstrong  :-)

All the best,
Anton