Die Dreigroschenoper (1928)

Play with music after John Gay's The Beggar's Opera; in three acts.
German translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann.
Adaptation and lyrics by Bertolt Brecht.

Threepenny Opera website

Synopsis
Song List
Performance Information
Principal Productions
Recordings

Macheath (Harald Paulsen) in prison,
with Mrs. Peachum (Rosa Valletti) and Polly (Roma Bahn), Berlin, 1928.

Synopsis

Macheath (Mack the Knife), notorious bandit and womanizer, runs afoul of Jonathan Peachum when he marries Peachum's daughter Polly in a ceremony of doubtful legality. Peachum's resolve to have Mack sent to the gallows is complicated by the fact that Mack's old army buddy is the chief of police, Tiger Brown. Peachum and his wife commence a series of strategems to ensnare Mack: bribing prostitutes to turn him in, exercising their influence over the police, and ultimately threatening to ruin the coronation of Queen Victoria by having all the beggars in London (whom Peachum controls) line the parade route. Mack is imprisoned, escapes, and is imprisoned again. When his hour of execution arrives, however, a mounted messenger appears with the Queen's reprieve, which includes a baronetcy and an annual pension of 10,000 pounds.

Song list

Moritat vom Mackie Messer
Morgenchoral des Peachum
Anstatt daß-Song
Hochzeitslied
Seeräuberjenny
Kanonen-Song
Liebeslied
Barbarasong
Erstes Dreigroschenfinale
Melodram
Pollys Lied
Ballade von der sexuellen Hörigkeit
Zuhälterballade
Ballade vom angenehmen Leben
Eifersuchtsduett
Zweites Dreigroschenfinale
Lied von der Unzulänglichkeit menschlichen Strebens
Salomonsong
Ruf aus der Gruft
Grabschrift
Drittes Dreigroschenfinale
Anhang - Arie der Lucy (piano only)

Performance Information

English title: The Threepenny Opera
Cast: Singing roles -- Street Singer, Macheath (tenor), J.J. Peachum (baritone), Mrs. Peachum (mezzo-soprano), Polly Peachum (soprano), Tiger Brown (bass-baritone), Lucy Brown (soprano), Jenny (mezzo-soprano), Constable Smith, ensemble.
Speaking roles -- Filch, the Rev. Kimball, the gang of thieves, beggars, prostitutes, policemen.
Orchestra: alto sax (fl, cl, bar. sax); ten. sax (sop. sax, bn, bass cl); tpt; tbn (double bass); banjo (cello, guitar, Hawaiian guitar, mandolin, bandoneon); timp/perc (tpt 2); harmonium (celesta, piano).
Duration: full evening, 65 minutes music
Published Editions: piano-vocal score, Universal Edition, UE 8851
study (full) score, Universal Edition, Philharmonia 400 (UE 14901)
Critical edition: Kurt Weill Edition, Series I, volume 5 (full score and libretto);
full score and libretto (reduced-size version of critical edition; German text only), Universal Edition UE 32 992
piano-vocal score (German and English), European American Music EA 4002 PV
Facsimile: Kurt Weill Edition, Series IV, volume 1 (holograph full score)
Performance Rights and Rentals: USA, UK, BREV: EAMC
GER: SUHR, except former GDR: SUHR/KWF/SCHOTT
FRANCE, BELG, SWIT: SACD/AMPH (for French-language text music materials; for German-language text and music material, the agents are Amphion (France), ALMO (Belgium), Jecklin (Switzerland))
AUST, HUNG, CZECH: UE
SCAN: NORD
All other territories: SUHR or its agent
Authorized Translations: English -- Ralph Manheim & John Willett (outside the USA and Canada), Michael Feingold, Hugh McDiarmid, Robert David McDonald & Jeremy Sams
French -- Jean-Claude Hémery
Italian -- Emilio Castellani
Authorized English Adapatation: Marc Blitzstein

Guide to orchestration, territory abbreviations, and publishers' symbols.

Principal productions

• August 31, 1928, Berlin, Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, Erich Engel, dir., Theo Mackeben, cond.
• March, 1929, Wien, Raimund Theater, Karlheinz Martin, dir., Norbert Gingold, cond.
• September 24,1937, Paris, Théâtre de l'Etoile, Francesco von Mendelssohn, dir., Selmar Meyrowitz, cond. (in French)
• February 1956, Milano, Piccolo Teatro, Giorgio Strehler, dir., Bruno Maderna, cond. (in Italian)
• April 23, 1960, Berlin, Berliner Ensemble, Erich Engel, dir., Hans-Dieter Hosalla, cond.
• May 1, 1976, New York, New York Shakespeare Festival, Richard Foreman, dir., Stanley Silverman, cond. (in English)
• May 23, 1987, Berlin, Theater des Westens, Günter Krämer, dir., Peter Keuschnig, cond.
• October 2, 1994, Frankfurt Schauspielhaus, Hans Hollmann, dir., HK Gruber, cond.
• June 6, 1996, Tokyo, Seinen-Za
• September 8, 1999, San Francisco, American Conservatory Theatre, Carey Perloff, dir., Peter Maleitzke, cond.

Recordings

Teldec CD 9031-75025-2	Kurt Gerron, Willy Trenk-Trebitsch, Lotte Lenya, Lewis-Ruth-Band-Jazzorchester (1930) Note: These historic recordings have been re-released many times on CD.
Vanguard Classics CD OVC 8057	Liane, Helge Roswaenge, Kurt Preger, Vienna State Opera Orchestra, F. Charles Adler, cond.
CBS CD MK 42637	Erich Schellow, Johanna von Koczian, Willy Trenk-Trebitsch, Lotte Lenya, Wilhelm Brückner-Rüggeberg, cond.
RCA LP GL 32545	Johannes Schütz, Edith Bussmann, Dieter Brammer, Elsbeth von Lüdinghausen, Werner Meissner, cond.
Philips CD 426-668-2	Hans Korte, Karin Huebner, Franz Kutschera, Frankfurt Opera, Wolfgang Rennert, cond.
Polydor CD 543-563-2	Helmut Qualtinger, Hannes Messemer, Karin Baal, Sylvia Anders, James Last, cond.
Disques Jacques Canetti CD 202422	Maurice Barrier, Marie-Claude Mestral, Albert Médina, Oswald D'Andréa, cond. (in French, translated by Jean-Claude Hémery)
Columbia LP PS 34326	Raul Julia, Caroline Kava, C.K. Alexander, Elizabeth Wilson, Blair Brown, Stanley Silverman, cond. (in English, translated by Ralph Manheim and John Willett)
Neue Welt LP NWKE 3002	Hans-Peter Cloos, Katje Rupé, Martin Sperr, Caroline Chaniolleau, Jürgen Tamchina, cond.
London CD 430075-2	René Kollo, Ute Lemper, Milva, Mario Adorf, Helga Adorf, Helga Dernesch, RIAS Berlin Sinfonietta, John Mauceri, cond.
Koch International Classics CD 3-7006-2	Waldemar Kmentt, Manfred Jung, Stephanie Myszak, Anelia Shoumanova, Bulgarian Television and Radio Mixed Choir and Symphony Orchestra, Victor Symonette, cond.
JAY CD CDJAY 1244	Tom Hollander, Sharon Small, Tom Mannion, Beverley Klein, Gary Yershon, cond. (in English, lyrics translated by Jeremy Sams)
Capriccio CD 60-058-1	Walter Raffeiner, Peter Nikolaus Kante, Ulrike Steinsky, Gabriele Ramm, The König Ensemble, Jan Latham-König, cond.
BMG CD 74321 66133-2	Max Raabe, Nina Hagen, Sona MacDonald, Ensemble Modern, HK Gruber, cond.
Video BFI DVD BFIVD661 VFC03794, 03820	Rudolf Förster, Carola Neher, Fritz Rasp, Lotte Lenya, G.W. Pabst, dir. (2 DVD set containing both German and French versions of the film; region 2, PAL only)
Video Criterion Collection DVD 405	Rudolf Förster, Carola Neher, Fritz Rasp, Lotte Lenya, G.W. Pabst, dir. (2 DVD set containing both German and French versions of the film; region 1, NTSC)

Also see entry for The Threepenny Opera, English adaptation by Marc Blitzstein.