Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill/Nyman

Rating:
Summary: Ute in Concert, Double the Pleasure?
Review: This DVD contains two separate Ute Lemper concerts.

The first is a 1992 concert filmed for French TV which consists of her highly regarded interpretations of Kurt Weill's work. She sings Weill's work in its original language; thus, the songs from "Threepenny Opera" and early Weill are sung in German, songs from Weill's (brief) Paris period are sung in French, and late Broadway Weill is sung in English. A booklet is provided with English translations; however, no on-screen subtitles are supplied. (Why? Why? Why?). Ms. Lemper's performances run the gamut from serious to vivacious and funny. This part of the disc (about 1.5 hours) is superb and highly recommended for all audiences.

The second concert is also from 1992 and was filmed by famed German director Volker Schlöndorff ('The Tin Drum', 'Lost Honor of Katerina Blum'). But forget that, the direction is subtle, almost opaque and ultimately not important to the concert. The focus here is on the music. The concert consist solely of Michael Nyman's music, with texts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (yes, WORDS by Mozart), Arthur Rimbaud, and Paul Celan. Nyman's art songs definitely won't be everybody's cup of tea. This is 'SERIOUS ART,' self-consciously so. Some will enjoy; other will find it pretentious and a bore. It's about an hour.

Since this is a double feature, this is quite a bargain. If you enjoy Ute Lemper's Weill interpretations, by all means take a chance on this disc. You may or may not enjoy the Nyman concert; even if you don't consider it a freebie tossed onto a great, great Kurt Weill recital.

The sound quality is quite good, and the picture quality is above average. The format is 4:3; this disc is not enhanced for 16:9 sets.

Rating:
Summary: Stellar Concert Performances from the Fabulous Ute Lemper
Review: Ute Lemper Chante Kurt Weill concert on this disc is absolutely stunning. It's just Ms. Lemper and an awesome piano player, providing a very intimate atmosphere. Her live versions of "Le Grand Lustucru" and "Bilbao" are even better than the recorded versions and, for me, the standout here is "Youkali." Ms. Lemper performs 20 classic Weill songs and the second concert features higlights from her collaboration with the British composer Michael Nyman; as the other reviewer noted the second concert may not be for everyone but a nice booklet is included with the dvd that provides lyrics and translations and some background notes. So if you want to be entertained or love literature Ms. Lemper is the ultimate choice!