The End of Utopia

'The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny'
by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht,
reviewed by GIUSEPPE PENNISI

Even though it was planned as a purely Marxist piece of work, Aufstieg und Fall Der Stadt Mahagonny ('The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny') by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht is one of the most frequently performed operas of the German repertory of the nineteen thirties. The long and complex history of its gestation, its downfall because it was considered 'degenerate music' by the Nazis and of its revival can be read in Marxist Opera, 13 June 2012. Nonetheless, the title never disappeared from opera programs. When I lived in the United States in the seventies, I saw at least two different productions in English...

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY

KURT WEILL

BERTOLT BRECHT

GRAHAM VICK

ROBERTO GABBIANI

TEATRO DELL'OPERA

ROME

ITALY

GERMANY