Weill/Brecht: New Version of "Seven Deady Sins"

Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill

Kurt Weill

Die sieben Todsünden / The Seven Deadly Sins

Ballet Chanté (1933) · 35’ Text von Bertolt Brecht (dt./engl.) Englische Textfassung von W. H. Auden und Chester Kallman Fassung für Ensemble von HK Gruber und Christian Muthspiel (2018)

This new version reduces the instrumentation to 15 musicians while closely adhering to the original score. The chief point of reference was Kurt Weill’s handwritten piano reduction which permitted HK Gruber and Christian Muthspiel to recognise what Weill considered as fundamental musical concepts, and what he subsequently added in his colourful instrumentation. The objective was to retain the harmony and melodic structure, which initally appeared to be simple, but on closer inspection was actually highly sophisticated. To this end, the arrangers oriented themselves to other works by Weill with a smaller-scaled instrumentation such as the Kleine Dreigroschenmusik.

21 Sep 2019 | Bonn (D) World Conference Center Bonn, Saal „New York“ Beethoven Fest Bonn

Soprano: Sarah Maria Sun

Ensemble Modern

amarcord

Conductor: HK Gruber