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NEWSLETTER Volume 13, Number 1 Spring 1995

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B OOKS 18 Gunther Diehl: Der junge Kurt Weill und seine Oper "." Susanne Shigihara John Willett, ed., Hugh Rorrison, trans.: Journals 1934-55. Michael Morley Bryan Gilliam, ed.: Music and Performance during the Weimar Republic. Derrick Puffett PERFORMANCES 22 in Ludwigshafen. Gisela Schubert Die Dreigroschenoper in Frankfurt. Horst Koegler Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny in Diisseldorf and Chemnitz. Kraft-Eike Wrede Die Dreigroschenoper in . Patrick O'Connor One Touch of Venus in Malmo, Sweden. Tony Kaplan AU-Weill Concert in Frankfurt. Gunther Diehl R ECORDINGS 29 Die sieben Todsiinden on and Teldec. Daniel Albright Jeunesse Festival in Vienna Deadline Extended for Kurt Weill Highlights Kurt Weill Prize Nominations Plans are underway for a major Weill com­ A remarkable response has greeted the memorative festival in Vienna from 29 Sep­ call for nominations for the first annual Kurt Kurt Weill Foundation tem ber to 24 October 1995. Organized by Weill Prize. The Prize is to be awarded in the Musikaliscbe Jugend CTeunesse Musicale) fall of this year to the autllor of a work of Grant Program Osterr_!'!ichs, an organization founded imme­ outstanding scholarship dealing with twenti­ diately after the Second World War, this eth-century musical theater (including op­ month-long festival wilJ be presented at the era). inquiries about application and nomi­ Musikverein and the Konzerthaus, the most nation procedures have come from scholars prestigious concert halls in Vienna. and publishers around the world. The many Reminder: 1 November 1995 is the The MusikalischeJ ugend organization has entries received to date, ranging in scope application deadline for 1996 funding engaged many orchestras and individual from journal articles to complete books, al­ by the Kurt Weill Foundation for performers from both sides of the Atlantic: ready ensure a highly competitive selection the radio symphony orchestras of Berlin, process. Largely to accommodate the nu­ Music. To request guidelines, call Cologne, and Hamburg (NDR), the Wmd merousinternational respondents, theFoun ­ (212) 505-5240. Orchestra of the Vienna Philharmonic, the dation has extended thedeadlineforsubmis­ Slovenia Philharmonic, and the prestigious sion of entries until 15 May 1995. European contemporary chamber orches­ The Kurt Weill Prize is co-sponsored by tras Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt) and theAmerican Musicological Society, Ameri­ Klangforum (Vienna). Soloists Angelina can Society for Theatre Research, Modern Reaux, Damon Evans, and RobertaAlexander Language Association, and Kurt Weill Foun­ will appear along with conductors Dennis dation for Music, lnc. For information on Russell Davies, Vladimir Fedoseyev, HK nomination guidelines, please contact the Gruber, Peter Keuschnig and Jan Latham­ Foundation. Konig. Music and Scholarship at the Along with the many Weill compositions Annual Kurt-Weill-Fest in Dessau to be performed (including Johnny Johnson among other works) the festival program A co-production of the city of Dessau, also promises a selection of works by other Germany and that city's Kurt-Weill­ twentieth-century composers including GeseUschaft, the annual Kurt-Weill-Fest for Busoni, Hindemith, Milhaud, Mahler, thisyearopenedon2March 1995, theninety­ Stravinsky, Gershwin, Copland, Eisler and fifth anniversary of the composer's birth. Ives. Several composers who have been The eleven-day festival featured, as usual, influenced by Weill, including Leonard performances of several works by Weill, in­ Bernstein and Morton Gould, will also be cluding the Symphony #2 and the Concerto represented. for Violin andWi nds. Especially notable was the premiere, conducted byVicto rSymonette, London's Threepenny Opera of the Suite in E, Weill's first surviving at­ Nominated for West End Award tempt at orchestral composition. The orga­ nizers also programmed works by othertwen ­ TI1e production of tieth-century composers, including Weill's Tlze Threepenny Opera was recently nomi­ teachers, Busoni and Humperdinck. nated for an Olivier Award, the English Performers from all over Germany partici­ equivalent to the American Tony award. pated in the festival. Two American singers. Nominated under the category of "best mu­ Teri Hansen and Ivan Thomas, both ofwhom sical revival," this extremely popular pro­ appeared in theacclaimed production ofStreet duction has attracted critical attention since Scene atBerlin 'sTheater desWestens, joined it opened in December oflastyear. (See the Lys Symonette in a recital of songs from review on page 26 ofthis issue.) Critics have WeilJ's American works. Mrs. Symonette been unanimous in heralding JeremySams's embellished the performances with remarks new translation of Brecht's lyrics. about her experiences in the American mu­ sical theater. Focus on Weill in Opernwelt Especially prominent among the many Opernwelt, the German-language opera events included in the Kurt-WeilJ-Festwas a monthly, devoted a significant portion of its scholarlysymposium,fittinglyentitled"New February issue to the topic "Von Brechtzum Contributions to Weill Research in Germany." Broadway: Die zwei Welten des KurtWeilJ" The symposium featured, along with estab­ (From Brechtto Broadway: The two worlds lished scholars such as GuyStem andJi.irgen of Kurt Weill) . The issue included reviews of Schebera, a whole new generation of young recentstage productions, books and record­ scholars, including Nils Grosch, Guntller ings, contributed by a number of notable Diehl, Andreas Hauff, Stefanie Wust, and critics, including Horst Koegler, a Jong-time Elmar Juchem. Those present also heard Weill aficionado. The issue also contained presentations by Rtidiger Pfeiffer on the an interview with Lys Symonette and histori­ Bauhaus and music, and Guido Birnberg on cal photos of Weill and Lotte Lenya. Weill reception in Russia.

More Publications Now Available from the KWF. See the expanded book selection on the back cover.

2 Volume 13 Number 1 Kurt W,eill Newsletter John Mauceri Conducts More Kurt More on Mahagonnys Around the Weill Performances and 1995 Grants Awarded Recordings World John Mauceri is in the midstofa very busy London season ofWeill performances. In addition to 1n December 1994, the Board ofTrustees his Boston Symphony concert with Ute London can look forward to a new English of the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Lemper in April (see the news story on p.5), language Rise and Fall of the City of Inc. approved the recommendations of Mauceri conducted the premiere ofhis corn· Mahagonny. The production, using the translation byMichael the Independent Grants Advisory Panel pilation A Kurt Weill Songbook/or Orchestra on July 1994 at the with Feingold, premieres at the Coliseum on 8 to award the grants listed below. 20 Lemper as guest soloist. (The Songbook June 1995 with performances continuing incorporates Morton Gould's 77ze Two Worl~ through 30 June. This production repre­ of Kttrl Weill.) A recording of the perfor· sents the much anticipated operatic debut of Research mance will be released on the Philips label in director Deel an Donellan and designer Nick fall 1995. The conductor has also recently Ormerod, the founders of London's eel• J. Bradford Robinson, Seefeld, Germany. presented RobertRussell Bennett's arrange­ ebrated "Cheek by Jowl" theater company. Grant to support a study ofWeill's ment Five Songs/or Huckleberry Finn. ("Cheek by Jowl" performed at the Brooklyn handling of jazz orchestration and Academy ofMusicin New York last October In May, Mauceri will conduct the Lisbon to critical acclaim and full houses at every instrumental techniques in his Eu­ premiere of Street Scene, at the Teatro performance.) ropean works. Nacional de Sao Carlos, scheduled to open on 27 May 1995 and run for four perfor• Two members of the cast will also be Pascal Huynh, Paris, France. Grant to mances. The director will be Jose making theirdebut: Robert Brubaker Oimmy support research involved in Wallenstein, with sets designed by Vera Mahoney) and Riccardo Simonetti curating the first major exhibition Castro. Principal cast members will include (Pennyback BilO. Other members of the cast are Sally Burgess (Widow Begbick), on Weill in France. The exhibition, , Spiro Malas, Mark Beudert, Ann Howard, J orge Vaz de Leslie Garrett Genny), Adrian Thompson in collaboration with the Mona Bis• Carvalho, Ana Paula Russo, Carlos (Fatty), Brian Matthews {Trinity Moses), marck Foundation and the Goethe Guidlherme, and Ivan Thomas. Richard Angas (Alaska Wolf Joe), and John Daszal Gack O'Brien and Toby Higgins). Institut Paris, will run from January As for other future events, later this year · Performances will be conducted by Sian through March 1996. the conductor plans to record Weill's Con­ Edwards (through 23 June), and James with certo for Violin and Wind Instruments Holmes (26, 28, 30 June). soloist ChantalJuilletfor the London/Decca Dissertation Fellowship label. His collaboration with Utelemperwill A number of special events will take place be renewed on 30 September and 1 October around the time ofthe premiere. The Friends Elmar Juchem, University of Gtittingen, of this year in a concert with the Leipzig of ENO have organized two film screenings Gtittingen, Germany. Grant to sup­ Radio Orchestra (MDR-Sinfonieorchester). ofrecentdocumentariesonWeill, introduced portarchival and source study work by director Barrie Gavin along with James Holmes, on 30 and 31 May. A for a doctoral thesis on the collabo­ symposiumledbyWeillscholarsfrom ration between Weill and Maxwell the United States and will Anderson. precede the premiere and will be the occasion for thedebutofa Mahagomzy sourcebook containing a collection of Performance historical documents relevant to the opera. City College, San Francisco, CA. Street Paris Scene. The Bastille Opera announced the Eastman School ofMusic, Rochester, NY. inclusion ofAu/stiegundFall der Stadt Street Scene. Mahago111iy in its 1995-1996 season. The director for the production will Indiana University, Bloomington, lN. Zu be Graham Vick, with Jeffrey Tate Potsdam unter den Eichen, conducting. The premiere is sched­ Mahagonny Songspiel, Das Berliner uled for 14 October 1995. Requiem, and US premiere of New York Kiimzen einem toten Mann nicht The has an• helfen. nounced a revival of the 1979 John Dexter production of Rise and Fall of Kurt-Weill-Gesellschaft, Dessau, Ger· the City ofMahagon11y for its 1995-96 many. Das Berliner Requiem. season. The opening performance is scheduled for 25 November, with a Makedonski Theater, Sofia, Bulgaria. live broadcast in the Texaco Metro­ Street Scene and Der Lindbergh/lug. politan Opera series on 9 December. The major roles will be sungbyTeresa University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. Stratas, Helga Deroesch, Kenneth Street Scene. Riegel, Gary Lakes, Richard Versalle, Trmothy Noble, and Alan Held. James A scene from the John Dexter production of AM/stieg n d Levine will be on the podium for all Fall der Stadt Mahagot1,iy at the Metropolitan Opera. five performances.

Kurt Weill Newsletter Volume 13 Number 1 3 ■

Kurt Weill Edition Report

With work on the initial volumes of the Kurt Weill Edition now underway for nearly a full year, the KWE office has begun to receive actual edited materials in the form of scores and editors' essays. In the coming months, these materials will be carefully ex­ amined, evaluated, and revised as necessary A Gulde tothe according to the very strict editorial stan­ dards set forth in the KWE "bible," the Guide for Volume Editors ofthe Kurt Weill Edition. Work proceeds on schedule to release by autumn 1995 the first product of the KWE, a facsimile edition ofDie Dreigroschenoper, with the first fully-edited volume set to appear WEILL-LENYA sometime in 1996. Because Edition work has proceeded so RESEARCH CENTER well in these first years of its existence, the Editorial Board has commissioned a second set ofvolumes. A full list-organized accord­ ing to the KWE series structure - of all volumes and works in some stage ofprepara ­ tion appears below. (See also the report on the following page of an important archival acquisition that is a direct result of work on the Weill Edition.)

Kurt Weill Edition Volumes in Preparation Kurt Weill Foundation for Music Series I - Stage Der Protagonist Der Zar lasst sich photographieren Mahagonny Songspiel Die Dreigroschenoper Die sieben Todsunden NOW AVAILABLE: Johnny Johnson TO A GUIDE THE WEIU.-LENYA RESEARCH CENTER One Touch of Venus Firebrand of Florence Street Scene Years of diligent work on the part of the WeiJLFoundatlon'• archival staff came to Love Life fruition inJanuarywitb the publication ofthe GtM, to Ii« .,..,,_,,,,.RIM.m:lt Cater. Compiled and edited by David F~Jobn.Aacus, and Dave Stein, tbe Gall Ila Series II - Concert finding aid that outlines and deacribes the Research Ceoter's arcbmd holdings. It Chamber Music includes information on thescope, content, and provenanceof each catalogued aeries String Quartet in B minor or discrete collection in the archive. The editon have~ especially detailed Sonata for Cello and Piano information for manuscript sources: summariee for J)hotocopied materials and non­ String Quartet, op.8 autograph originals; detailed individual ~ODS far Gl1ldnal auqraph docu­ Frauentanz ments. Historical or biographical bclrground • providedwhen DeCe9881'Y. /eh sitze da un' esse Klops The Gtdtle's extensive introductory eectioos and appendices cooteYhtaJire the infor. Music with Solo Violin mation on the archive's holdings. In the publication's opeaingsection, guidelineslor Concerto for Violin and Winds usersoftheWeill-LenyaResearchCenterfoBowbi~<,fhothWeillandJ.ea,a Der neue Orpheus as weDasabriefhistoryoftheKurtWeiDFoundationforM-. Flveappendicesotfer Songs and Lieder chronologies of WeiD's works and Lenya's performances. a select bibliography of books and dissertations on Weill, a directa,y of. related repositories, and a list of the Series Ill - Screen programs of the Foundation. A name index provides direct access to the approxi­ Film Music mately 600 names of individuals and corporatioos mendoaed within. The River is Blue You and Me MuchofthecatalogingandinventoryworktbatwentintotheGtddewaasupportedby Where Do We Go From Here? a generous grant from the United States National Endowment for the Humanities. The publlcation is available upon request from the Foundation for the nominal price Series IV - Facsimile of $5.00 to defray printing and handling costs. Die Dreigroschenoper Holograph Published Theater Songs

4 Volume 13 Number 1 Kurt Weill Newsletter American Repertory Theatre Announces New Production of Aut.. raph of A new production of The Threepenny Opera Seczond will be directed by Ron Daniels at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachu­ String Qw.r.tet in B Minor setts. This production will be the American premiere ofa new translation by Jeremy Sams ofthe songlyrics. Previews will take place atthe Acqulllld ly, Foulldatlon Loeb Drama Center from 12 May; the show will run from 17 May to 23 July 1995. Craig Smith will conduct Two Low Renditions of Die sieben Todsiinden in April The same April weekend saw two American orchestras presenting performances of Die sieben Todsunden in vocal registers lower than originally intended. offered a read­ ing of the Briickner-Rliggeberg arrangement under the baton ofJohn Mauceri with the Bos­ ton Symphony Orchestra on 6, 7, 8, and 11 April at Symphony Hall in Boston. Well-known pop singer Marianne Faithfull sang the piece an octave lower than written, with Dennis Russell Davies leading the Brooklyn Philharmonic Or­ chestra, on 7 and 8 April. Joining Faithfull were members ofthe vocal group Hudson Shad, who have garnered much critical praise for their portrayal of the Family. The Brooklyn program, entitled "Paradise Lost," also featured works by Hindemith (Kammennusik No.I) and Mahler (Symphony No.4). Musicologist Bryan Gilliam delivered lecturespreceding both concerts. Faithfull also appeared in a related performance, "Weimar Cabaret," on 9 April. Love Life at "Discover the Lost '1 /,'""7'\ Musicals" in London this October - I ----- ,.,...... -- - .. The 1948 Weill-Lerner show wve Life will ~ serve as the grand finale to this year's "Discover ;, the Lost Musicals" series at London's Barbican ---- Centre. Organized by Ian Marshall Fisher, the f _:::;.., seven-year-old series offers concert perfor­ i, mances with piano of representative American I musicals. Otherworks on tap for this season are - - - Cole Porter's Something for the Boys and Leave ' it to Me!, Albert Hague's Plain and Fancy, and ::sf • }.;;;::.. ----. ~~ .:' .i:·.\. -:~-. Bob Merrill's Take Me Along. I " in the USA": A a. - ~~ Conference at , - ...... ___._... .. ·-- ~-l ~, On 22 through 24 October 1995, Yale Univer­

sity will host a conference entitled "Paul . ~ ~t? - Hindemith in the USA" Sponsored by the - - - - •, Hindemith Foundation in Switzerland and orga­ - nized by.Stephen Hinton, this conference marks :::; ~ ... ..-rr-_~ - ~t';)j,t the opening of an exhibition at the Beinecke - ~tit ·~ " Library in honor of the centenary of the I composer's birth. Papers will be delivered by ----6- some of the most prominent European and ---- American scholars of twentieth-century music, :__.,.a:::- . ~ ~ A •: among them Hermann Danuser, , 1.--=------Ian Kemp, Kim Kowalke, David Neumeyer, ~- ~ - ;,..---- GiselherSchubert, Geoffrey Skelton, andRudolf - ...-:: -~ .;; -- Stephan. A separate session on oral history will -- '/ feature speakers Vivian Perlis, Violet Archer, .I Howard Boatwright, Eckhart Richter, Lukas 1. Foss, and Andreas Briner. Two concerts will also be part of the festivities, including the premiere of The wng Christmas Dinner.

Kurt Weill Newsletter Volume 13 Number 1 5 LETTERS

To the Editor: diary for <1-period (he will do the same later around than a third of those known? The published selec­ Your fall issue has just reached me. To say I am the time of Stalin's death), not only silent about the tion both in German and English deliberately tears appalled at your choosing to reproduce a patchwork horror Berlau is suffering through in 1946 as a down the statureofHauptmann, Berlau, and Steffin. of errors that should be obvious to anyone who had direct result of his unscrupulous stealing of her About 5% of known Berlau letters are in this edition read my book with care is to understate the case. To money and getting her out of a hospital before she and Steffin is virtually no!H!Xisteot, not even a "faith­ reprint a piece written by a man who does not even was well, but silent about horror on a million-fold ful secretary.~ list Hauptmano's name on the cover of the scale, horror that be knew about from his reading It is one thing for Michael Feingold to disport Hauptmann, Weill, Brecht Happy End even though Ouly 19, 1943) of Boris Souvarine's "nieder­ himself al my expense in his own playpen at The Hauptmann's heirs have asked since 1977 for her driickendes" (depressing-Brecht's word) tome on Vi/(age Voice, but for the Weill Newsletter to reprint name to be attached to the work, is very odd. The Stalin. his elementary errors is appalling. same person refers to Hauptmann as ''hls [Brecht'.s] Ignoring the grim and million-fold realities of Despite aberrations such as this one, I hope I can faithful secretary." "agricultural reform," we then, according to continue to value the Kurt Weill Society (not only The piece is drenched through with error, from Feingold, are to see Brecht as a man "who would because it has supported my work both with cash elementary (spelling of the name ofthe town where save a woman's life." The woman mentioned is the !in the form ofaresearch grant) and access to files). Hauptmann was born to making her a member of Ftnnish playwright, Hella Wuolijoki. £n fact what I hate to see its reputation diminished by the re­ the Prussian aristocracy). to huge errors such as happened isas follows: Manuel Komroff, Ernestine publication oi material of an inferior standard. claiming I credit Berlau with much of Galilw and Evans, Rex Stout. Mary Taylor, Iris Walker, and a To keep up its general reputation for scholarly Mother Courage. In fact I write of"Steffin's intense· United States State Department employee by the fairness (so refreshingly differentfrom thatgener­ work" on Galileo, and on Courage I note "innumer­ name of Griffin launched a major press campaign to ally of the Brecht Industry desperate always to able hand-written notes by both Steffin and Brecht• try to get Wuolijoki's potential death sentence in assert his dubious primacy), may l suggest the In Feingold's world of the "faithful secretary," like Finland changed to life imprisonment. Taylor and Weill Foundation arrange one ofits scholarly sym­ that of Brecht, one woman seems totally inter­ Walker worked tirelessly on this campaign literally p0sia around the qu.estion of what can be estab­ changeable with another. for months. As a tiny part of this effort, Komroff and lished as to who wrote what of the libretti so bril­ Not only are women such as Berlau and Steftin Evans wrote to Brech tasking him to add a Jetter to liantly scored by Kurt Weill and played in by Lenya interchangeable in Feiogold's world, but here we the huge pile they were assembling. Some sense of in the 1920s and '30s? Could we take a serious look also learn "the diary transcript for that year (1946] Brecht's importance to the enterprise (at a time at documents and explain why Lenya felt compelled has vanished." In order to vanish, a transcript bas when Brecht was almost entirely forgotten and to write to her husband: Mlt's too much already, tl1at to have existed. Nobody, to the best of my knowl­ could add little in star appeal to the effort), may be letter from him (Brecht), soil our mailbox." Could edge, has ever claimed before that one ever existed gleaned from the fact that Evans's Jetter to Brec.ht we ask why Lenya reportedly told the musical tlte­ for this period. Al least an earlier biased reviewer misspelled his name. When Brecht mentions his ater historian, Miles Kreuger, that she considered of my book in the New York Times Book Review did own effort - and Feingold fails to see that the real Brecht to be "The Maxwell Perkins of the musical not invent the first version ofThreepenny, he merely effort was led entirely by others - this becomes theatre," i.e., a gifted editor rather than an original invented remembering iL Feingold goes one bet­ hagiography rather than scholarship. If in mind? CouldweaskwhyRobertVambery, who was ter. He bas a text "vanish" that 110 scholar I know Feingold's world writing one letter after being re­ physically pre.sent when Hauptmaon's Threepenny claims existed. quested to do so is tantamount to saving a life, how was first mentioned to Aufricht (after Brecht had Whal r do do with the Brecht diary in my book is many lives have we all saved? The fact remains failed to sell one of his own plays to the producer). note that Brecht writes a long entry on January 5, Brecht cheated Wuolijoki out of her legitimate was not willing, ashe recently put it, ~to become one 1946 in which he argues for Soviet "agricultural earnings until her dying day. Ironically, it had of Brecht's slaves." And could we ask why Weill's reform• in captured Germany. Is Feingold perhaps been Wuolijoki who saved the entire Brecht, publisher, Felix Bloch Erben, felt compelled to unaware what this tiny phrase meant for millions of Berlau, Steffin group's life in 1940-41. She did not warn Weill of"Brecht's violation ofyour interests"? "kulaks" and innocent members of their families write a letter to be added to a pile. She took the lf be did violate Weill's interests, did this stop with when "agricultural reformn had been introduced by whole group of six refugees into her own home. only Threepenny and only with Weill? Questions, Stalin in the USSR? Does he really not know why I A basic problem for journalists like Michael more questions. But that is what scholarship, a make thi.s reference? Had I wanted to nan Brecht, Feingold, who rely second-hand on scholars pro­ distinct species from hagiography, is about. here for heaven's sake was a lovely place to do so. ducing "documents." is that much of the data is For whatever reason - and I do not speculate and drawn from a tainted source. ls he unaware that the JOHN FUEGI have a text "vanish" - Brecht goes silent in the Brecht utters that he piously cites constitute less University of Maryland

Michael Feingold replies: starving, he refused to pay the royalties he owed once existed. As the typescript pages are num­ her. The two facts taken together make my point, Fuegi's hysterical tone and his reflexive impulse bered continuously, I should have said "the manu­ which is hardly a demonstration of his saintliness, script has vanished." In any case, Fuegi asserts, to accuse anyone who critici7.es him of bias are though it links him more closely with the ordinary perfect instances of what makes his book an "Brecht's diary mentions neither the letters from run of humanity th.an the monster of Fuegi's Hauptmann and Bachmann, nor Ruth herself." (p. untrustworthy and dubious contribution to Brecht imaginings. As does, alas, his view of Stalin's collec­ scholarship. Fortherecord, Elisabeth Haupbnano's 465) Since the letters he cites were written after tive farms, which was widely held on the left in January 5, it is impossible for Fuegi to know this­ name appears oo every English-language edition of those days. It is entirely possible, for instance. that Happy End - not her real name, of course, but the uoless, ofcourse, hebas the missing section of the Hauptmann, Steffin, and Berlau agreed with him. diary. pseudonym she chose and specified by contract. (Reviewing Fuegi's tome in the Observer, Willett. "Dorothy lane." We did use her real name on the Fuegi's countless errors of fact. misreadings of suggested - I don't know on what evidence -that evidence, and mistranslations have been pointed playbill for the 1977 Broadway production, at her Steffin may have been Jess a collaborator chosen by heirs' request; when I later tried to have it placed on outby many reviewers besides myseU. His call for Brecht than a supervisor assigned by the Party to a responsible scholarly investigation of the issues the title page of the Samuel French acting edition, I keep his writings in line.) surrounding Brecht's authorship-echoing the one was told that the contracts made this impossible. I erred in .not citing Steffin as Brecht's principal in my review - is remarkable and praiseworthy, Fuegi's assumption that I could exercise control collaborator on Mother Courage. However, both it given that his own slipshod, distorted handling of over decisions put in writing many years before I and Galileo were reworked after her death, the the case bas made the need even more urgent. His was born is another e.xample of his naivete in mat­ latter extensively. and in its filial version with ters of theatrical business. bias shines through. immaculately, in the astonjsh­ Berlau'sassistance. As for Berlau's breakdown and ingclaim thatareview laden from top to bottom with Regarding Wuolijokl, I did not say, as he seems Brecbt's diary, £he Willett-Manheim edition says lists of Brecht's negative traits could constitute to think, that Brecht personally dashed to Finland "there is a break of thirteen months in the type­ "hagiography.• Objectivity, the prize of scholar­ and untied her from the railroad tracks in theface of script• Since Brecht kept his Arbeitsjournal more ship, is far beyond Fuegi's grasp. an oncoming trdin. I freely concede that he only or less regularly from 1934 to 1955, the reasonable joined theeffortto save her life under pressure from assumption - Fuegi is not good at reasonable MICHAEL FEINGOLD others; nevertheless, he did it. Later, when she was assumptions - is that diary entries lor this period New York

6 Volume 13 Number 1 Kurt Weill Newsletter