The Life & Music of Kurt Weill with Susan Waterfall

In this video, we explore the cultural context of the life and music of Kurt Weill (1900-1950). Excerpts from historic and contemporary performance are used in this educational video. What happens when an impeccably trained young German composer decides he wants a new audience? When a nice Jewish boy starts hanging out with a Marxist poet and a Viennese flapper? When the distinction between highbrow and lowbrow becomes irrelevant? Susan Waterfall and her team have created a film describing Kurt Weill’s life and work, including a unique collection of both historic and contemporary performances of his songs. Weill communicated the soul and style of Modernity while he survived the sweeping historic changes of Weimar Berlin, the rise of Hitler, Paris in the early 30’s, and Broadway in the 40’s. Chapter Index and links to full performances: 00:00 - Introduction; early years 05:33 - Meatball Song H. K. Gruber, Ensemble Moderne -