Teresa Stratas - Mahagonny - Alabama Song

[sirmercutio99]

oops- what I mean't to say she has a better voice than Lenyas and she has the mannerisms right. It's unusal for an Italian(style) opera singer to sing this role. Malfitano is more German and she sings modern opera as well.

[tmtaki]

Opera, not musical.

[tbros2000]

the woman sitting behind the singer at 0:40 looks like julianne moore

[LTHHFYAMADA]

1930　Opera．Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, or Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Bertolt Brecht)　Music by Kurt Julian Weill

[Juliaflo]

@LTHHFYAMADA Thanks for giving Mr. Weill's full name.

[canodog69]

Jim morrison put more swag into this song!

[demasodi]

qué tiene que ver su acción con la letra de la canción????

[ButtFooo]

I cant belive there are people who dont understand how original the doors were. also its not like Teresa Stratas even wrote this song! i mean wtf i love the doors and as far as im concerned they covered a song because they liked it. and every one who cant respect morrison should actually listen to his lyrics and song to gain a better understanding. just as i did when i listened to this song. Show Some Respect!

[urgrad03]

MAGIC:)!!

[clyhiz]

Wow, I've never heard this in actual operatic mode. It's lovely. o_o"

[scarface9000]

her voice sucks badly. opera voices suck badly. opera should die. it's time for it to die. it has hardly a place in our society. just kiddin.

it really does suck though

[llamasaresmelly]

@scarface9000 why are you commenting about an obscure opera by Kurt Weill, then?

[BillSalem]

@scarface9000 Your negative and truly ignorant comments, not only here, but elsewhere on YouTube, are, as always, vulgar and stupid.

[ilanetta]

Thanks so much for this! I'm interested in buying the video of her performance - the whole opera, that is. Any suggestions?

[Ezyjimi]

it´s by Brecht and Weill, mate ;)

[canodog69]

Jim Morrison Did it way more epic

But this is still good to I like but

I like the doors version better

[kwgybo345]

@canodog69 you and the dead damn lizard king can go eat a crap sandwich for your unoriginality, go to hell, brecht is the best lyriccist, and jim morrison sucks.

[Geieraugen]

@canodog69 : Morrison can't touch Stratas, but Stratas can't touch Lotte Lenya. It has nothing to do with "technical" ability, it has to do with the soul of the artist. Lenya was a giant, Morrison was a punk.

[castodivo]

I believe I see Ms. Isola Jones there. She's that lady on the far left.

[Hazelduc]

Teresa Stratas is one of the greatest opera singer and I have veneration for her;see the best opera dvd,where she is absolutely divine of beauty and talent :Salomé,Richard Strass with Karl Bohm;like this way to hold a cigarette

[DonRolini]

this is interesting but doesn't she know how to hold a cigarette? I know she's a singer and doesn't smoke but she's also a great actor and should know how to smoke.

[RobNYNY1957]

People hold cigarettes differently indifferent parts of the world. The way she is holding it used to be quite common in Europe, especially among the working class. I see it here in NYC occasionally, too.

[DonRolini]

@RobNYNY1957 Oh cool! that was very naive of me to say! thanks for the up date

[tmtaki]

The text is as Brecht wrote it. In English. English not his native language, obviously.

[Ocean92Soul]

What a bizarre aria! I'm not saying it's ugly or anything but it's strange, actually I kind of like it... What's the opera about? Stratas' voice lovely as always.

[anemone9]

It's got a pretty complicated plot. As is typical for Brecht and Weill, It's basically about capitalism being bad.

The song is meant to be unsettling. In the opinions of the lyricist and composer, pretty songs distract us from social realities.

[jasonslave123]

this song give me the creeps i swear

[Subfreshskate]

the doors

[Operalover12002]

I have just taken a look at my comment, which I wrote half a year ago. I mentioned her good diction. Ms. Stratas reminds us of Violetta in the film version of La Traviata. Not only is she talented as an opera singer but God has given her exceptional beauty. Anyway, I appreciate

this clip.

[kwgybo345]

@salchst eat an unoriginality sandwich, you doors idiot! Morrison couldn't do it better if he farted the song out. P.S, DOORS SUCK!

[CrystalFlames]

I can never recognize Stratas from one performance to the next! A real chameleon.

Anyway, I really don't like this song at all.

[kbossanova]

Amazing...none like Teresa

[organboi]

why do they change the words! i thought it was "the next little boy" why are they singing the "next little dollar?" WTF! SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK CRAP.

[jbactr]

BTW, for your information, each translation of a Kurt Weill German show is different because EVERY PRODUCTION USUALLY HAS A DIFFERENT TRANSLATOR WORKING ON IT...therefore the lyrics can potentially be altered by whomever is translating the word from german to english..I find your comment terribly immature and innappropriate. Grow up.

[eblackadder3]

Actually , this song was sung in English in the original production. The rest was in German.

[jbactr]

wow..thanks for the tidbit...i like to learn new things every day (and no im not being sarcastic)...i still found the first poster's comments to be inappropriate.

[eblackadder3]

No Problem. And, for the record, Brecht's original lyrics are "The next pretty boy".

[VivaRenata]

Thank you for clarifying. In my - distant - youth I listened to the record with Lotte Lenya and thought she was singing the next "whisky bar". Found it on Youtube and thought she was singing "whisky boy". You're obviously right and more informed. This is an amazing piece and I am not surprised that Teresa Stratas pulls it off so well - she is an opera singer outside the conventional mould. I do, however, prefer Lenya's version, an octave lower and - ah- lah- bah-ma.

[oceans80]

Funny you should notice how Stratas says "Alabama" - she give away that she's Canadian with the flat second "a" - Lotte Lenya's German "ah" sound is closer to how an American would say it. I wonder if the difference in American and Canadian "a" is due to the huge influx of Germans to the US in the mid-late 1800's?

[anemone9]

That's a good theory, but the basic sound you're talking about actually sounds very different from one American region to the next. For instance, Californians pronounce the sound somewhat closer to "dot," and Minnesotans pronounce it somewhat closer to "debt."

If you're interested in the history of American English and its various dialects, Wikipedia actually has many accurate and well-written articles on the subject. They may include some linguistics jargon, though.

[wesleyan97]

Actually the Benares Song is in English too.

[Operalover12002]

How clearly she pronounces each word! I usually have a hard time in catching English words sung by opera singers. Her beautiful voice is also exceptional.

[Youkali67]

@Operalover12002 Sure!!! SHE IS "LA STRATAS"

[tortugaboba]

Es una mujer tan hermosa, despues de ella solo Angela Gheorghiu y detras de Gheorghiu viene Anna Netrebko, no cabe duda que el talento se renueva.

[gustavopardo]

Por favor!!!!!!!!

En que se compara la vaca rusa con LA Stratas y LA Gheorghiu.

Stratas tenía una vocalidad algo erratica pero su musicalidad, su inteligencia y su fuego interpretativo la convirtieron en una de las figuras más importantes de la mitad de siglo pasado. En diez años más Netrebko será sólo un mal sueño acerca de lo que puede lograr la falta de talento cuando se une con una campaña de marketing descomunal.

FELICES FIESTAS!!!!

[voltape]

Que suerte para Anita Netrebko y para los que la admiramos que sus detractores sean maleducados. Es un honor ser criticado por personias irrespetuosas.

(vaca rusa)

[tortugaboba]

duro pero cierto. jeje

[agabusdawatchman]

I love Stratas she's so talented.

[iconocide]

Majestic! That was a wonderful performance, thanks for posting.

[saullouis]

In 1988 a video was produced of the making of the audio track for Show Boat with Teresa Stratas singing the role of Julie, Frederica Van Stade singing Magnolia Hawks, Bruce Hubbard as Joe and Jerry Hadley as Gaylord Ravenal. I played that tape until my VCR died. Stratas singing of "Cant help loving that man of mine" is one of many high points.

[orjus]

Just imagine Stratas and Vickers and Gedda you don't get that nowadays

[dizozza]

I apologize to ms. migenes, ms. stratas was way too great... so she did show up for this broadcast, but not show for the lulu broadcast. ok...

the met's mahagonny in english works very well...

[billcarr54]

I was fortunate enough to live in NYC when Lulu premiered there, and saw her sing it.

She is my very favorite contemporary interpreter of Weill.........(I dislike Lemper intensely, histrionic beyond belief.)

[dizozza]

I agree with that.

[BelliniNorma1]

Her final operatic performance was in this role at the MET on a broadcast in 1995. A fitting farewell to her singing career.

[Pandora6546]

was it this or her Liu? I saw her last Liu and it was PERFECTION as well - whether it's Weill or Verismo, Stratas is brilliant. One of my mentors and I continue to learn just by WATCHING!

[BelliniNorma1]

Teresa first sang LIU at the old Met in 1961 stepping in for an indisposed Lucine Amara and the rest is history. Stratas returned to the role of LIU again but not till 1992. After that she was slated to sing the role in subsequent revivals but she canceled those performances. Her operatic career ended with Jenny in Mahaghonny on a broadcast from the Met in 12/95.

[Pandora6546]

that's right!!! I had to go back and figure it out!!! Saw those last 2 roles and they were beyond brilliance...

[dedauw]

I'd love to see the whole telecast

[tjfloyd]

Stunning performance; artistic perfection.

[fedtrooper]

The Chad Mitchell Trio sang Moon on one of their albums in the '60s

[aesthetic1950]

The Doors did an interpretation of this on one of their albums.

[wesleyan97]

...without acknowledging its source!

[newdor]

Thank you so much for posting this video. Watched it over and over again.

[thelex001]

I remember this broadcast and Teresa Stratas's fetching performance. A wonderful voice for Weill.

[RVP57]

I must agree! I also saw it way back when, and of course didn't know Weill from my ass. But I loved it, and nowadays have an appreciation of Weill that may not have materialised were it not for this Met telecast.

[thelex001]

I've loved her ever since broadcasts of Carmen and Amahl and the Night Visitors and remember looking forward to seeing her in the Weill. A long time ago.

[GABYCONSTANZA]

i think i saw every performance at the met with her in it.

thanks so much for this.

a delight down memory lane.

[shakallo3]

really did u see teresa on stage? even violetta? u very lucky. :)

[BelliniNorma1]

Stratas only sang Violetta in Germany and then starred in the movie. Unfortunately, she never sang the role in the US to my knowledge. I did see her at the MET in THE BARTERED BRIDE & Puccini's TRITTICO where she sang all 3 heroines. I was supposed to see her as NEDDA in PAGLIACCI but she canceled.

[omtara]

She is amazing.

[egrosz]

Amazing piece!!!

[hightenor123]

I second that, Mahagonny is an amazing piece, no matter how you label it.

[rmm413]

Thank you so much for posting this. I love the stuff Weill and Brecht did together. Please post more from Mahagonny.