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Event
Weill at Heart
Eclectic. Diverse. Brilliant. Kurt Weill wrote extraordinary songs. Songs of desire and love. Songs of hatred and anger. Songs of repulsion, irony, ambition. Songs of hope and renewal.
Why such eclectic brilliance? Unlike Gershwin or Porter or Rodgers and Hammerstein, Kurt Weill was forever marked by life in Germany in the 1920's, when that country was ripped apart by politics, racism and economic strife. In response, theatre, music and art tried to strip emotions raw and question everything. As a result, Weill could shift between the sublime and the shocking in a heartbeat. Weill wrote the most fragile, tender 'farewell' song ever sung: 'Speak Low'. He wrote a song that is a scream of anger at watching young men march to war: 'Cannon Song'. He wrote a song that is a frolic of delight at simply being alive: 'One Life To Live'.
Kurt Weill (born in 1900) came of age in the Weimar period, which had just seen the excesses of the Belle Epoque drive a whole continent into nightmarish war. The musical generation before him included composers like Mahler and Strauss, whose symphonies demanded an army of orchestral musicians, not to mention full choirs and vocal soloists. Their lush, overblown musical language came directly out of the nationalistic romanticism of Wagner. So, Kurt Weill decided to turn all that on its head.
When he fled Nazi Germany and moved to the USA, he fell in love with his new adopted country. Kurt Weill's favorite city in his new country was New York, and in that city he most adored the bustling 'Automats', the semi-automated populist diners that were the crossroads for every type of person in 1930's America. Weill loved milkshakes, that quintessential American drink, and I often imagine him with a milkshake in front of him, discussing new projects with writers like Langston Hughes and Ogden Nash, and all the while surveying the bustle around him: the secretaries, businessmen, taxi drivers, newspaper boys and all the other dreamers and strivers of Manhattan. I imagine he would have been delighted by the possibility that he might have a chance to explore their lives on stage, and that soon all these people might hum his songs.
Bremner says:
"I've been entranced by the music of Kurt Weill throughout my adult life. I've sung his songs in lovely concert halls and in dark, dilapidated saloons. I've sung his music accompanied by rock bands and with classical string quartets. I've never grown tired of his music. When I met jazz arranger David Patrick (my partner in crime for this new CD), I knew I had found a collaborator who could do justice to Mr. Kurt Weill's extraordinary music."
Others say:
"Weill at Heart" is a jazz cabaret/concert that shares my delight in the marvelous complexity of Kurt Weill's music. Every moment spent with his work is a moment of discovery: Weill forces us to open up our hearts, to hear and see the world anew."
"a fantastic show a perfect festival experience outstanding singing, in a distinctive setting. It was a thrilling reworking of Weill's material. It was seedy. It was stirring. It was utterly memorable." -Andrew Clover, of the Sunday Times
"When he sings, his voice is like a big, dark, sultry roomfull of emotive and expressive possibilities. Even when Duthie sings in languages other than English, the passion and subtext come startlingly alive." -The Georgia Straight, Vancouver
"It takes more than just an expressive voice to really communicate Kurt Weill songs it takes love, fear, regrets, wistfulness, loneliness, tragedy and charm. And above all, it takes a fine actor. Duthie has it all' -Theatreworld Magazine, London, England
"his remarkable voice interprets the songs of Kurt Weill better than anybody since Lotte Lenya! (His rendition of 'Speak Low When You Speak Love' will break your heart.) An absolute MUST" CBC Winnipeg
"Bremner Duthie is a wonderful stage presencewith a voice of power and inner beauty that commands the whole space One feels seduced by the sheer power and beauty of this performance" -Musical Stages Magazine: London, England
"Any diehard theatre fan will adore this treat, which features the music of Kurt Weill and includes one of the best renditions of Mack the Knife you're likely to hear. Extraordinary. " -The Winnipeg Sun
www.bremnersings.com
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LocationMarigny Opera House (View)
725 St. Ferdinand Street
New Orleans, LA 70117
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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