Kurt Weill - Symphony No. 2; Violin Concerto; Mahagony Suite (Mariss Jansons)

Information

Composer: Kurt Weill

• Symphony No. 2
• Violin Concerto, Op. 12
• Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny – Suite from the opera

Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Mariss Jansons, conductor

Date: 1998

Label: EMI

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Review

For works that are so seldom performed in the concert-hall, Weill’s Second Symphony and his Violin Concerto have both notched up a healthy number of recordings. The Second Symphony was composed in the summer of 1933 as a commission from the Princesse de Polignac, when Weill was living in France having fled from the Nazis. It has many textural and melodic affinities with Der Silbersee, the last work Weill completed in Germany, and Die sieben Todsunden, the first piece he wrote in France. Last year Kent Nagano teamed the Symphony with Todsunden and that seemed to me an ideal coupling.

Within the whole picture of Weill’s life and works, the Symphony could be seen as a farewell to his youth and to his country of birth. After 1933 he would declare that he had no nationality (until he could say “I’m an American!” in 1941). The agitated, distressed sound of the opening movement gives way to the second part – with its resigned, marching theme at the start, like the two men at the end of Silbersee going forth into the unknown. But towards the end of this second movement, despite its melancholy mood the music seems to look forward with a five-note phrase which anticipates exactly the refrain of Rose’s aria from Act 1 of Street Scene, with the words “maybe it will be”. I still like the Nagano version very much, and have an undying affection for Gary Bertini’s trail-blazing 1967 recording, a much harsher interpretation. Jansons and the BPO give the symphony its most sumptuous performance and recording so far – one feels like thumbing one’s nose at Schoenberg who dismissed Weill completely (as did Webern). As his centenary approaches (in 2000), Weill’s music is becoming more and more established and the two halves of his career merge into one.

The Violin Concerto is the earliest of his compositions to have achieved a place in the repertory. I’m very fond of Waltraud Wachter’s recording on Ondine with the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra under Max Pommer. More recently Chantal Juillet – on an excellent disc – sandwiched the work between the Korngold and Krenek concertos for Weill’s only appearance so far in Decca’s Entartete Musik project. Zimmermann makes a splendid soloist in this performance, highlighting the neo-classical characteristics of the piece.

The suite of tunes from Mahagonny was obviously designed by Wilhelm Bruckner-Ruggeberg to match the wit of Weill’s own Dreigroschenoper suite. It doesn’t quite work since the big operatic ensemble and arias sound a bit lost when boiled down to orchestral effects. But for those who shy away from Weill’s music-theatre works this new CD might be the ideal introduction to his music.

— Patrick O'Connor

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Kurt Weill (March 2, 1900 – April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer. He showed early musical talent and received formal training in Berlin, studying under teachers including Engelbert Humperdinck and Ferruccio Busoni. Weill rose to prominence in Germany through collaborations with playwrights like Georg Kaiser and especially Bertolt Brecht, with whom he created The Threepenny Opera (1928). However, as a Jewish composer, his career in Germany was cut short by the rise of the Nazi regime. Fleeing to the U.S. in 1935, Weill became a key figure on Broadway, collaborating with top American writers.

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Frank Peter Zimmermann (born 27 February 1965) is a German violinist. A prodigy, he began playing at age five and debuted with orchestra at ten, later studying with prominent teachers in Germany and the Netherlands. Since launching his international career in 1983, he has performed with major orchestras worldwide and collaborated with renowned conductors. His repertoire spans from J.S. Bach to contemporary composers, with particular affinity for Mozart and Prokofiev. An active chamber musician, he co-founded Trio Zimmermann. His extensive, award-winning discography covers major violin works.

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Mariss Jansons (14 January 1943 – 1 December 2019) was a Latvian conductor, best known for his interpretations of Mahler, Strauss and Russian composers. He studied at the Leningrad Conservatory, as well as with Hans Swarowsky and Herbert von Karajan. In 1979, he became Music Director of the Oslo Philharmonic, with which he performed, recorded and toured extensively. His other positions included music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony (1997–2004), chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (2003–19), and principal conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (2004–15).

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