gagelle
Super Member
Last night I watched more than half of an opera by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht called Rise and Fall of the House of Mahagonny. The performance was by James Levine's Metropolitan Opera, recorded in1979. The video and music quality are superb. I was again surprised by how much better DVD music sounds on my Oppo Blu-ray player than most CD music. Or, it may be the mastering. I don't really know. There was so much depth and realism to the music that it sounded better than some of my real experiences at opera houses.
I was at first concerned about buying an opera on a plain DVD rather than a Bly-ray, but this edition made me realize that many DVD recordings are as good or better than some Bly-ray.
I found the opera very intense and emotionally draining even though Kurt Weill's music is brilliant and exuberant. I think that the juxtaposition of Weill's music with BB's lyrics give the piece its unusual artistic force. The score is impossible to categorize. Weill has invented a new genre of music. For one with a good audio system, it is worth watching just to experience the dynamism, realism and inventiveness of his score.
After its performance in 1930s Germany, the audience wildly cheered. But Brecht claimed that they misunderstood the opera. He fled the country after Hitler had it shut down.
I'll do a follow-up after I finish watching it and as always, welcome anyone's input.
I was at first concerned about buying an opera on a plain DVD rather than a Bly-ray, but this edition made me realize that many DVD recordings are as good or better than some Bly-ray.
I found the opera very intense and emotionally draining even though Kurt Weill's music is brilliant and exuberant. I think that the juxtaposition of Weill's music with BB's lyrics give the piece its unusual artistic force. The score is impossible to categorize. Weill has invented a new genre of music. For one with a good audio system, it is worth watching just to experience the dynamism, realism and inventiveness of his score.
After its performance in 1930s Germany, the audience wildly cheered. But Brecht claimed that they misunderstood the opera. He fled the country after Hitler had it shut down.
I'll do a follow-up after I finish watching it and as always, welcome anyone's input.
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