Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny

The 1930 collaboration by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht—written both as a critique of Germany's failing Weimar Republic and more broadly as a stinging rebuke to capitalism—is brilliantly mounted in this 2010 performance from the Teatro Real de Madrid. The production by Alex Ollé and Carlus Padrissa of the innovative Catalan theatrical troupe La Fura dels Baus opts for simple but imaginative set, costume, and lighting choices. Musically, the elements are also first-rate, with conductor Pablo Heras-Casado securing sizzling playing from the Madrid Orchestra in an unfamiliar idiom, and the cast is superb, headed up by Jane Henschel as Widow Begbick, Measha Brueggergosman as Jenny Smith, Michael König as Jim MacIntyre, and Willard White as Trinity Moses. The chorus also contributes mightily, even engaging in some suitably suggestive bits of stage business as the satirical tale unfolds chronicling the sudden rise and subsequent swift fall of the titular metropolis. The one possible quibble here is the use of Michael Feingold's English translation rather than Brecht's original German libretto; but the decision actually helps emphasize the piece's roots in popular musical theater as well as opera. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, this vivid performance of a modern masterwork is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (F. Swietek)