Prague ‘Die Dreigroschenoper’

After paying my seven euros, I ended up with a box to myself this evening for a performance of ‘Die Dreigroschenoper’ at the National Theatre.

The sound of this piece is so individual and it has a great place in history, being written and first performed in 1928. Brecht had adapted the old ‘Beggars’ Opera’ written by John Gay and produced by John Rich (Yes, it is the opera “that made Gay rich and Rich gay” ) and Kurt Weil provided the music.

It still sounds good today. Some of the music sounds incredibly ‘academic’ as Weil uses a lot of classical devices but the instrumentation makes the music sound very individual. The London policemen looked a little strange but one of them had a helmet which did NOT fit him. They had whistles and used them!!! The ending is pure fantasy in the original version so, in the National Theatre , the messenger descends from the sky in a chariot drawn by two huge horses, to announce that MacHeath has been baronated; pure verfremdungseffekt.

Mack The Knife (original)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QXJ3OXWaOY
Mack the Knife with Lotte Lenya(Brecht’s wife at the time)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPG9GcykPIY
Die Dreigroschenoper Band (1) – Kanonensong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q686m6cqv4E
Eifersuchtsduett – Winnie Böwe & Sona MacDonald
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLk5poKBehc
Seeräuberjenny Sona MacDonald
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myZSaZ7zoN8
Lotte Lenya Singing “Seeräuber Jenny”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec0clERjQ5A&NR=1