Weill: Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny- Silja, Mödl, Stolze, Hirt, Winkler; Leitner. Stuttgart, 1967

Description: This recording was truly a labor of love for me. In my opinion, Mahagonny is one of the greatest operas of the "post-Puccini" period. Sadly many directors and performers seem perplexed by the Weill/Brecht style and deliver bloodless, corporate productions that completely strip the work of its bite. This is one of the few performances I have come across that manages to capture the spirit of the work. For one thing the cast is superb. Anja Silja sings a sultry Jenny Smith- both innocent and trashy at the same time. Martha Mödl, well into her sixties, delivers a true star turn as Leocadia Begbick. With her best vocal years, now decades in the past, she hones her acting skills into the part and produces a performance that recalls Lotte Lenya in her later years. Gerhard Stolze, in a rare appearance in a leading role, sings Jimmy Mahoney. His voice was never beautiful and it isn't here, but I imagine that he was hired to match the great acting skills of Silja and