Kurt Weill's Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera) is a milestone in music theatre, though opinions differ as to how to perform it: cabaret, so chansonniers and diseuses can mine Brecht's lyrics for all they are worth? Or, since the vocal demands are considerable and the score contains moments of mock 18th-century grandeur, should it be sung in a more conventionally operatic manner?
HK Gruber has attempted to solve this dilemma by casting it with a starry lineup of lieder singers. The theory, presumably, is the latter will deliver the text without defaulting on the trickier vocal writing what we end up with, however, is a stylistic mish-mash. There's a major lapse of casting at the centre, with Macheath being played by Ian Bostridge, who is no one's idea of an attractive thug and whose voice at times won't cut through Weill's shrill instrumentation. In addition to conducting, Gruber plays Peachum, and his sprechstimme is at odds with the rest of it. At the opposite extreme, we have the former Wagner diva Hanna Schwarz, indecent and glorious as his wife.
There are great individual performances. The replacement of Brecht's dialogue by narration, however, fatally undermines the dramatic momentum. As with any great work, the interpretative possibilities of The Threepenny Opera are infinite. But this reminds us that, however it's done, it needs consistency above all.
