Maurice Abravanel Remembers Kurt Weill

When it was issued in the Fifties, Columbia's record- serves the stylistic authenticity Lenya brought to the ing of the "Big Mahagonny" (K31.243, three discs, mono) role of Jenny but restores the role to its originalsoprano was a welcome introduction to the most monumental of range-providing the necessary musical and dramatic the Brecht -Weill works and is still indispensable toany contrast with Begbick, the other female principal. The library of Weill recordings. But now that theopera has transposition down an octave for Lenya is particularly become entrenched in the repertory, the shortcomings damaging to the beautiful "Crane Duet." of that version, conducted by Wilhelm Bruckner-Rugge- The Threepenny Opera has always been the most berg and with a cast centered on Lotte Lenya, are more popular of Weill's works: Within five years of its pre- apparent. A new recording is called for, one that pre- miere in 1928 it had been translated into eighteen Ian- and up, and 3/4 and 4/4." I asked about 5. He answered, "5 is only in Tchaikovsky's Pathetique, and that is2and3." During that time he composed and conducted a Christmas pantomime, Die Zoo- bernacht, easy and serviceable music that was performed every day for a week or so in Berlin. Busoni, his teacher, went to one performance, and his only comment was Maurice Abravanel that Kurt had conducted it well. We exchanged two or three letters while I had my firstengagement. I Remembers Kurt Weillbumped into him at an opera performance, and we talked excitedly at inter- mission. It was not until 1926 that we met each other again, on a train from Berlin to Leipzig, and he told me he had written an opera. Der Protagonist, with Georg Kai- ser, then a foremost German Expression- IT WAS IN BERLIN, in May1922. thatIwasano and asked me how long it took. I toldist playwright. The Dresden Opera, which introduced to Kurt Weill, then twenty-him a little over five hours. Then he askedwas giving more premieres of Richard two years old, short, with questioninghow long my Meistersinger score was.Strauss than any other, performed it un- eyes behind very big glasses. He agreed toWell, about the same. Then, in a gesture Ider Fritz Busch. Those German critics teach me harmony and counterpoint,will never forget, he held the Parsifalwho were against the avant-garde slaugh- charging half a pound of butter per lesson. score on the palm of his left hand and thetered it mercilessly. But those who were He did not expect me to bring butter, but Meistersinger score on his right, as though with the avant-garde gave it rave reviews. this was the prevailing wage in those days balancing them on a scale-with the latterand Kurt got a contract with Universal in Berlin, as prices changed almost daily. many times thicker and longer than theEdition by which he would get a monthly Weill crisscrossed the city in the street- other-looked at me, and said, "So?" I stipend for life and Universal would pub- car to give his lessons. His textbooks werewas taken aback by that way of compar-lish anything he wrote in any medium. the Bussler books then in use at the presti- ing works of art. It did not make any dent I saw him rarely while I was conducting gious Musik Hochschule, where he hadin my addiction to the sensuous mysti-in the provinces, but whenever I went to studied for ashort time with H um-cism of Parsifal, but I was disturbed toBerlin he would play for me some of the perdinck. Those textbooks were a com- know that for a composer the fact that itthings he had just composed. In the mean- pendium of rules and regulations without has mostly slow tempos and very longtime. of course, The Threepenny Opera any regard for the reasons underlyingheld chords, while Meistersinger is bub-(1928) came out and was performed all them, but they were orthodox. Kurt told bling with so many notes, so many lines,over Germany, and all the critics who had me to buy the Schoenberg Harmony,and so many faster tempos, somehow hadchampioned Weill rejoiced in an "I told which I did immediately, but he neversomething to say about the operas's musi-you so" way; however, when it became a again referred to it. cal contents. lasting success and had been performed Having been exposed to Ernest Anser- Weill would bring sketches of his stringin about eighty-five theaters and made met's performances of the music ofquartet for me to play as he advanced hisinto a sound movie in both German and Stravinsky in Switzerland. I had the min- work on it.It was performed at the firstFrench, the reviewers decided that Kurt iature scores of Firebird, Petrushim, and International Society for Contemporarywas a traitor. How could anything that Sacre du printemps on my rented upright Music Festival in Salzburg in1923.It got large audiences took to their hearts be of piano. When Weill first saw Sacre (Ger- very favorable reviews, citing his debt toany value? But this did not bother Kurt, many had been totally isolated musi-Stravinsky-of whom he did not know awho wanted to reach audiences and cally). he said I was losing valuable time note at the time. didn't mind losing his avant-garde sup- looking at such "dreck." Later, of course, While all my written counterpointporters. he became an ardent admirer ofexercises were letter-perfect according to We met again in the spring of 1933 in Stravinsky. the rules, my work at the piano-BachParis. The previous December, the Sere- I had been to Parsifal, which thechorales. score playing-was much lessnade, a society that had presented many Staatsoper was playing every night the good, but he still felt it was time for me to works of Milhaud, Poulenc, and other week before Easter. He saw the piano -vo- find a job in an opera house. I asked himavant-garde composers, wanted to organ- cal score, a very small volume, on my pi- about conducting. He himself had been aize a whole evening of Kurt Weill with the coach for a year and had conductecl a "Little Mahagonny" and the school opera Maurice Abravanel is conductor of the Utah little in a very small municipal theater. HeDer imager. He was invited to go to Paris Symphony Orchestra. said to me, "Well, you know2/4,downfor it. and he accepted on the condition 66 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE.

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