German-born composer
Kurt Weill's music has aged quite well through the years and has been rediscovered and reinterpreted by such diverse artists as
Louis Armstrong,
Bobby Darin,
Willie Nelson,
the Doors, and
Teresa Stratas. Just prior to the 70th anniversary of the classic Three Penny Opera, which made its debut in 1928, producer
Hal Wilner, who supervised the brilliant 1985
Weill tribute Lost in the Stars in association with filmmaker Larry Weinstein, gave fans old and new
September Songs, a collection of interpretations from the film project of the same name. Weinstein, inspired by hearing the Lost in the Stars project, developed his film as a visual follow-up to the record, hiring
Wilner to reprise his role as music supervisor.
Wilner once again chose a wide array of artists for the project, ranging from pop musicians such as
PJ Harvey and
Elvis Costello to jazz vocalist
Betty Carter, opera soprano
Teresa Stratas, beat author
William S. Burroughs, and the gospel stylings of
the Persuasions. Among the true joys of
September Songs, aside from the wonderful new renditions, is the inclusion of recordings by
Weill's wife,
Lotte Lenya, from 1955 on "Pirate Jenny," lyricist
Bertolt Brecht performing "Mack the Knife" in 1930 in its original German, and
Weill himself, joined via modern recording technology by bassist
Charlie Haden, singing the beautiful "Speak Low." Without a weak performance on the entire album,
Wilner once again has done an excellent job of capturing the beauty and scope of one of the 20th century's greatest composers. ~ Brett Hartenbach