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The Seven Deadly Sins (ballet chanté)

February 08, 2023

This article is about the ballet by Weill, Brecht, and Balanchine. For other uses, see Seven deadly sins (disambiguation).

The Seven Deadly Sins (German: Die sieben Todsünden,[1] French: Les sept péchés capitaux) is a satirical ballet chanté ("sung ballet") in seven scenes (nine movements, including a Prologue and Epilogue) composed by Kurt Weill to a German libretto by Bertolt Brecht in 1933 under a commission from Boris Kochno and Edward James. It was translated into English by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman and more recently by Michael Feingold. It was the last major collaboration between Weill and Brecht.

Die sieben Todsünden
The Seven Deadly Sins
Sung ballet by Kurt Weill
Cover of a recording with Lotte Lenya
Descriptionsatirical ballet chanté
LibrettistBertolt Brecht
LanguageGerman
Premiere
7 June 1933 (1933-06-07)
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris

Origins

With the Nazi seizure of power following the Reichstag fire of 27 February 1933, Brecht and Weill–especially Weill as a Jew–recognized that Berlin could no longer serve as their artistic home. Brecht left Berlin and traveled to Paris, stayed briefly in Prague, and then in Vienna. Less than a month later he was in Zurich and then moved to less expensive lodgings in Lugano, Switzerland. There a patron offered him living quarters in his summer home in Carona, outside Lugano. Weill spent time in Paris in December 1932, where he obtained the commission for the Seven Deadly Sins.[2] He contacted Brecht in Carona and Brecht promptly joined him in Paris.[2] The scenario of the libretto mirrors Brecht's own travels, expanded to one-year sojourns in each of seven cities.

Performance history

Kurt Weill was commissioned to compose Die sieben Todsünden by Edward James, a wealthy Englishman who had been in Paris during Weill's visit in December 1932. James's wife, Tilly Losch, was a ballerina who James described as having a striking resemblance to Weill's wife, Lotte Lenya.[2]: 206  Because James knew that Weill was going to write for Lenya, he included language in the contract commissioning the work requiring that his wife, Losch, dance opposite her lookalike.[3] This dictated the complicated split personality plot before Bertolt Brecht was even asked to write the libretto.

The Seven Deadly Sins premiered in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on 7 June 1933.[4] It was produced, directed and choreographed by George Balanchine with mise en scène by Caspar Neher. The lead roles were played by Lotte Lenya (Anna I) and Tilly Losch (Anna II).[3] According to Nils Grosch, it "was met with bewilderment by the French audience (not just because the work was sung entirely in German). German émigrés living in Paris, however, were enthusiastic and considered it 'a grand evening.'"[5] The production went to London and opened at the Savoy Theatre under the title Anna-Anna on 28 June of the same year, performed in an impromptu translation by Lenya.

The work was revived by Weill's widow Lenya in the 1950s, with the main singing part transposed to a fourth below its original pitch level in order to allow her to perform her original role.[6] Another version transposed down a full octave was used by Marianne Faithfull in her 1997 recording.[6] The original version has been recorded by, among others, Anne Sofie von Otter, Teresa Stratas, and Anja Silja.

Major productions

in German unless otherwise noted

Roles

Role Voice type Premiere cast,
(Conductor: Maurice Abravanel)
Anna I Soprano Lotte Lenya
Anna II — (dancer) Tilly Losch
Brother Baritone Albert Peters
Mother Bass Heinrich Gretler
Father first tenor Otto Pasetti
Brother second tenor Erich Fuchs

Synopsis

The Seven Deadly Sins tells the story of two sisters, Anna I and Anna II. Anna I, the singer, is the principal vocal role. Anna II, the dancer, is heard only infrequently and the text hints at the possibility that the two Annas are the same person: "To convey the ambivalence inherent in the 'sinner', Brecht splits the personality of Anna into Anna I, the cynical impresario with a practical sense and conscience, and Anna II, the emotional, impulsive, artistic beauty, the salable product with an all too human heart."[16] Anna I sings:

She's the one with the looks. I'm realistic. She's just a little mad, my head is on straight. But we're really one divided being, even though you see two of us. And both of us are Anna. Together we've but a single past, a single future, one heart and one savings account and we only do what suits each other best. Right Anna?

"The Family", a male quartet, fills the role of a Greek chorus. They refer to Anna as a single daughter of the family, making a verbal allusion to her divided nature: "Will our Anna pull herself together?" The sisters set out from the banks of the Mississippi River in Louisiana to find their fortune in the big cities, intending to send their family enough money to build a little house on the river. After the prologue, in which Anna I introduces the sisters and their plans, each of seven scenes is devoted to one of the seven deadly sins, each encountered in a different American city:

  1. Prologue
  2. Faulheit / Sloth (city unnamed)
  3. Stolz / Pride (Memphis)
  4. Zorn / Wrath (Los Angeles)
  5. Völlerei / Gluttony (Philadelphia)
  6. Unzucht / Lust (Boston)
  7. Habsucht / Greed (Tennessee, in posthumous versions Baltimore)
  8. Neid / Envy (San Francisco)
  9. Epilogue (home, in the new little house)

While securing the means to build the little house over the course of seven years, Anna II envies those who can engage in the sins she must abjure. The epilogue ends on a sober note, as Anna II's responds with resignation to her sister: "Yes, Anna."

Satire

The libretto is satirical. When Anna II tries to behave morally she is scolded by her alter ego and her family for committing one of the seven sins. For instance, Anna I objects that Anna II is too proud to perform as a cabaret dancer just to please her clientele and needs to abandon her pride and satisfy her clients' lust. When Anna II is angry at injustice, Anna I advises her to exercise self-control. She's advised as well to be faithful to the wealthy man who pays her for love and not share her earnings with the man she loves. Anna II repeatedly surrenders to Anna I with the words "It's right like this." In the case of the last of the seven sins, Anna I warns Anna II not to be envious of people who live as she would like to, "of those who pass the time at their ease and in comfort; those too proud to be bought; of those whose wrath is kindled by injustice; those who act upon their impulses happily; lovers true to their loved ones; and those who take what they need without shame."

Recordings

References

  1. ^ Sometimes identified as Die sieben Todsünden der Kleinbürger ("The Seven Deadly Sins of the Petty Bourgeoisie"). That title was applied later by Brecht, and never endorsed by Weill. The Weill Foundation do not allow it to be used in the materials when the piece is performed. See "The Seven Deadly Sins (Die sieben Todsünden)" (PDF). Weill Foundation. Retrieved 2021-09-27. An edition of Brecht's libretto published after Weill's death added the words "der Kleinbürger," but that addition may not be used in connection with Weill's music.
  2. ^ a b c Shull, Ronald K. (1986). "The Genesis of Die sieben Todsünden". In Kim H. Kowalke (ed.). A New Orpheus – Essays on Kurt Weill. New Haven: Yale University Press.
  3. ^ a b Jürgen Schebera: Kurt Weill: An Illustrated Life; New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1997 (ISBN 0-300-07284-8).
  4. ^ Squiers, Anthony (2014). An Introduction to the Social and Political Philosophy of Bertolt Brecht: Revolution and Aesthetics. Amsterdam: Rodopi. p. 187. ISBN 9789042038998.
  5. ^ Nils Grosch, album notes, Weill, The Seven Deadly Sins, Marianne Faithfull / Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (BMG Classics 2004 CD 82876060872-2, reissue of 1997 recording)
  6. ^ a b Nils Grosch, Joachim Lucchesi, Jürgen Schebera: Kurt Weill-Studien; Stuttgart: M & P Verlag für Wissenschaft und Forschung, 1996 (ISBN 3-476-45166-6).
  7. ^ George Balanchine Foundation webpage for Les Sept Péchés Capitaux, 1933, per Boris Kochno
  8. ^ George Balanchine Foundation webpage for The Seven Deadly Sins, 1958
  9. ^ NYCB webpage for The Seven Deadly Sins, 1933 and 1958
  10. ^ Die sieben Todsünden (1933) 2006-07-20 at the Wayback Machine, Kurt Weill Foundation. Accessed 15 November 2006.
  11. ^ "Seven Sins, Both Deadly and Dull" by Robert Greskovic, The Wall Street Journal, May 17, 2011 (subscription required)
  12. ^ The New York Times, Roslyn Sulcas, May 4, 2011
  13. ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Patti LuPone To Sing Seven Deadly Sins, Susan Stroman Creates Ellington Piece for NY City Ballet" 2010-12-29 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, December 27, 2010
  14. ^ "Die sieben Todsünden in Stuttgart gefeiert", Deutsche Presse-Agentur via Die Zeit, 3 February 2019 (in German)
  15. ^ "The Seven Deadly Sins/The Castle of Bluebeard". 27 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  16. ^ Steven Paul Scher, Walter Bernhart, Werner Wolf: Essays on Literature and Music (1967-2004), Rodopi, 2004. (ISBN 90-420-1752-X)

External links

February 08, 2023
seven, deadly, sins, ballet, chanté, this, article, about, ballet, weill, brecht, balanchine, other, uses, seven, deadly, sins, disambiguation, seven, deadly, sins, german, sieben, todsünden, french, sept, péchés, capitaux, satirical, ballet, chanté, sung, bal. This article is about the ballet by Weill Brecht and Balanchine For other uses see Seven deadly sins disambiguation The Seven Deadly Sins German Die sieben Todsunden 1 French Les sept peches capitaux is a satirical ballet chante sung ballet in seven scenes nine movements including a Prologue and Epilogue composed by Kurt Weill to a German libretto by Bertolt Brecht in 1933 under a commission from Boris Kochno and Edward James It was translated into English by W H Auden and Chester Kallman and more recently by Michael Feingold It was the last major collaboration between Weill and Brecht Die sieben TodsundenThe Seven Deadly SinsSung ballet by Kurt WeillCover of a recording with Lotte LenyaDescriptionsatirical ballet chanteLibrettistBertolt BrechtLanguageGermanPremiere7 June 1933 1933 06 07 Theatre des Champs Elysees Paris Contents 1 Origins 2 Performance history 3 Major productions 4 Roles 5 Synopsis 6 Satire 7 Recordings 8 References 9 External linksOrigins EditWith the Nazi seizure of power following the Reichstag fire of 27 February 1933 Brecht and Weill especially Weill as a Jew recognized that Berlin could no longer serve as their artistic home Brecht left Berlin and traveled to Paris stayed briefly in Prague and then in Vienna Less than a month later he was in Zurich and then moved to less expensive lodgings in Lugano Switzerland There a patron offered him living quarters in his summer home in Carona outside Lugano Weill spent time in Paris in December 1932 where he obtained the commission for the Seven Deadly Sins 2 He contacted Brecht in Carona and Brecht promptly joined him in Paris 2 The scenario of the libretto mirrors Brecht s own travels expanded to one year sojourns in each of seven cities Performance history EditKurt Weill was commissioned to compose Die sieben Todsunden by Edward James a wealthy Englishman who had been in Paris during Weill s visit in December 1932 James s wife Tilly Losch was a ballerina who James described as having a striking resemblance to Weill s wife Lotte Lenya 2 206 Because James knew that Weill was going to write for Lenya he included language in the contract commissioning the work requiring that his wife Losch dance opposite her lookalike 3 This dictated the complicated split personality plot before Bertolt Brecht was even asked to write the libretto The Seven Deadly Sins premiered in the Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris on 7 June 1933 4 It was produced directed and choreographed by George Balanchine with mise en scene by Caspar Neher The lead roles were played by Lotte Lenya Anna I and Tilly Losch Anna II 3 According to Nils Grosch it was met with bewilderment by the French audience not just because the work was sung entirely in German German emigres living in Paris however were enthusiastic and considered it a grand evening 5 The production went to London and opened at the Savoy Theatre under the title Anna Anna on 28 June of the same year performed in an impromptu translation by Lenya The work was revived by Weill s widow Lenya in the 1950s with the main singing part transposed to a fourth below its original pitch level in order to allow her to perform her original role 6 Another version transposed down a full octave was used by Marianne Faithfull in her 1997 recording 6 The original version has been recorded by among others Anne Sofie von Otter Teresa Stratas and Anja Silja Major productions Editin German unless otherwise notedJune 7 1933 Paris Theatre des Champs Elysees George Balanchine choreographer Maurice Abravanel conductor 7 December 4 1958 City Center New York City Ballet George Balanchine choreographer Robert Irving conductor Anna I singer Lotte Lenya Anna II dancer Allegra Kent in English 8 9 June 15 1976 Wuppertal Wuppertaler Tanzwoche Pina Bausch choreographer Frank Meiswinkel conductor December 23 1987 Lyon Lyon Opera Ballet Maguy Marin choreographer Kent Nagano conductor March 15 1997 New York State Theater City Opera Anne Bogart director Derrick Inouye conductor 10 April 26 2007 London Royal Ballet Martha Wainwright Zenaida Yanowsky Marianela Nunez director choreographer Will Tuckett Martin Yates conductor March 17 2008 Cuenca Spain Semana de Musica Religiosa de Cuenca Mary Carewe Anna Tenebrae Vocal Soloists family Catherine Allard dancer choreographer Maria Araujo costumes Mariona Omedes video production Frederic Amat stage director Joven Orquesta Nacional de Espana Jose Luis Estelles conductor May 11 2011 New York City Ballet Patti LuPone Wendy Whelan Sara Mearns Craig Hall choreographer Lynne Taylor Corbett 11 12 13 November 2014 Stockholm Svenska Kammarorkestern Angelika Kirchschlager Anna HK Gruber conductor June 14 2017 Toronto Toronto Symphony Orchestra Wallis Giunta Anna Jennifer Nichols choreographer Joel Ivany director Peter Oundjian conductor July 6 2017 Seville Teatro de la Maestranza Real Orquesta Sinfonica de Sevilla Wallis Giunta Anna director John Axelrod conductor February 2019 Stuttgart Staatstheater Stuttgart Peaches Anna Stefan Schreiber conductor 14 November 21 2020 Leeds Opera North Wallis Giunta Anna I Shelley Eva Haden Anna II Gary Clarke choreographer director James Holmes conductor September 27 2022 Buenos Aires Teatro Colon Stephanie Wake Edwards Anna I Hannah Rudd Anna II Sophie Hunter stage director Ann Yee choreographer Jan Latham Koenig conductor 15 Roles EditRole Voice type Premiere cast Conductor Maurice Abravanel Anna I Soprano Lotte LenyaAnna II dancer Tilly LoschBrother Baritone Albert PetersMother Bass Heinrich GretlerFather first tenor Otto PasettiBrother second tenor Erich FuchsSynopsis EditThe Seven Deadly Sins tells the story of two sisters Anna I and Anna II Anna I the singer is the principal vocal role Anna II the dancer is heard only infrequently and the text hints at the possibility that the two Annas are the same person To convey the ambivalence inherent in the sinner Brecht splits the personality of Anna into Anna I the cynical impresario with a practical sense and conscience and Anna II the emotional impulsive artistic beauty the salable product with an all too human heart 16 Anna I sings She s the one with the looks I m realistic She s just a little mad my head is on straight But we re really one divided being even though you see two of us And both of us are Anna Together we ve but a single past a single future one heart and one savings account and we only do what suits each other best Right Anna The Family a male quartet fills the role of a Greek chorus They refer to Anna as a single daughter of the family making a verbal allusion to her divided nature Will our Anna pull herself together The sisters set out from the banks of the Mississippi River in Louisiana to find their fortune in the big cities intending to send their family enough money to build a little house on the river After the prologue in which Anna I introduces the sisters and their plans each of seven scenes is devoted to one of the seven deadly sins each encountered in a different American city Prologue Faulheit Sloth city unnamed Stolz Pride Memphis Zorn Wrath Los Angeles Vollerei Gluttony Philadelphia Unzucht Lust Boston Habsucht Greed Tennessee in posthumous versions Baltimore Neid Envy San Francisco Epilogue home in the new little house While securing the means to build the little house over the course of seven years Anna II envies those who can engage in the sins she must abjure The epilogue ends on a sober note as Anna II s responds with resignation to her sister Yes Anna Satire EditThe libretto is satirical When Anna II tries to behave morally she is scolded by her alter ego and her family for committing one of the seven sins For instance Anna I objects that Anna II is too proud to perform as a cabaret dancer just to please her clientele and needs to abandon her pride and satisfy her clients lust When Anna II is angry at injustice Anna I advises her to exercise self control She s advised as well to be faithful to the wealthy man who pays her for love and not share her earnings with the man she loves Anna II repeatedly surrenders to Anna I with the words It s right like this In the case of the last of the seven sins Anna I warns Anna II not to be envious of people who live as she would like to of those who pass the time at their ease and in comfort those too proud to be bought of those whose wrath is kindled by injustice those who act upon their impulses happily lovers true to their loved ones and those who take what they need without shame Recordings EditLotte Lenya sings Kurt Weill s The Seven Deadly Sins amp Berlin Theatre Songs Sony 1997 Die sieben Todsunden Chansons Brigitte Fassbaender NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover Cord Garben de HMA 1951420 Weill Symphony No 2 The Seven Deadly Sins Songs Elise Ross City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle Warner Classics 6971852 2 CDs Die sieben Todsunden Gisela May Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Leipzig Herbert Kegel conducting Polydor 429 333 2 Deutsche Grammophon 139308 Die sieben Todsunden Angelina Reaux New York Philharmonic Kurt Masur conducting Warner Classics 1993 Reissued 2022 as part of Kurt Masur The Complete Warner Classics Edition His Teldec amp EMI Classics Recordings The Seven Deadly Sins Songs Marianne Faithfull Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra Dennis Russell Davies conducting Sung in English Reverso RCA Victor 74321 601192 Reissued 2004 as RCA Red Seal 82876 60872 2 Speak Low Songs by Kurt Weill amp The Seven Deadly Sins Anne Sofie von Otter NDR Sinfonieorchester conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner Deutsche Grammophon E4398942 Die Sieben Todsunden The Seven Deadly Sins Ballet Anja Silja SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern Grzegorz Nowak Hanssler Classic CD 93 109 SWR Music 2004 Die Sieben Todsunden The Seven Deadly Sins Mahagonny Songspiel Ute Lemper RIAS Berlin Sinfonietta John Mauceri Decca 1990 430 168 2References Edit Sometimes identified as Die sieben Todsunden der Kleinburger The Seven Deadly Sins of the Petty Bourgeoisie That title was applied later by Brecht and never endorsed by Weill The Weill Foundation do not allow it to be used in the materials when the piece is performed See The Seven Deadly Sins Die sieben Todsunden PDF Weill Foundation Retrieved 2021 09 27 An edition of Brecht s libretto published after Weill s death added the words der Kleinburger but that addition may not be used in connection with Weill s music a b c Shull Ronald K 1986 The Genesis of Die sieben Todsunden In Kim H Kowalke ed A New Orpheus Essays on Kurt Weill New Haven Yale University Press a b Jurgen Schebera Kurt Weill An Illustrated Life New Haven Conn Yale University Press 1997 ISBN 0 300 07284 8 Squiers Anthony 2014 An Introduction to the Social and Political Philosophy of Bertolt Brecht Revolution and Aesthetics Amsterdam Rodopi p 187 ISBN 9789042038998 Nils Grosch album notes Weill The Seven Deadly Sins Marianne Faithfull Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra BMG Classics 2004 CD 82876060872 2 reissue of 1997 recording a b Nils Grosch Joachim Lucchesi Jurgen Schebera Kurt Weill Studien Stuttgart M amp P Verlag fur Wissenschaft und Forschung 1996 ISBN 3 476 45166 6 George Balanchine Foundation webpage for Les Sept Peches Capitaux 1933 per Boris Kochno George Balanchine Foundation webpage for The Seven Deadly Sins 1958 NYCB webpage for The Seven Deadly Sins 1933 and 1958 Die sieben Todsunden 1933 Archived 2006 07 20 at the Wayback Machine Kurt Weill Foundation Accessed 15 November 2006 Seven Sins Both Deadly and Dull by Robert Greskovic The Wall Street Journal May 17 2011 subscription required The New York Times Roslyn Sulcas May 4 2011 Jones Kenneth Patti LuPone To Sing Seven Deadly Sins Susan Stroman Creates Ellington Piece for NY City Ballet Archived 2010 12 29 at the Wayback Machine playbill com December 27 2010 Die sieben Todsunden in Stuttgart gefeiert Deutsche Presse Agentur via Die Zeit 3 February 2019 in German The Seven Deadly Sins The Castle of Bluebeard 27 September 2022 Retrieved 28 September 2022 Steven Paul Scher Walter Bernhart Werner Wolf Essays on Literature and Music 1967 2004 Rodopi 2004 ISBN 90 420 1752 X External links EditLibretto Oregon Symphony Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Seven Deadly Sins ballet chante amp oldid 1112983580, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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