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Kurt Weill
Happy End
| Subtitle | English translation of Happy End by Michael Fiengold |
|---|---|
| Librettist | Bertolt Brecht |
| Text Author | Dorothy Lane |
| Translator | Michael Feingold |
| Publisher | Universal Edition |
| Instrumentation | alto sax (fl, picc, cl); ten. sax (baritone sax, cl); tpt; tbn; banjo (Hawaiian guitar or mandolin, bandoneon or accordion, bass guitar); perc (2nd tpt); piano (harmonium) |
| Duration | full evening, 45' of music |
| Movements | Prologue - Hosannah Rockefeller The Bilbao Song Lieutenants of the Lord (I) March Ahead The Sailors' Tango Brother, Give Yourself a Shove Song of the Big Shot Don't Be Afraid In Our Childhood's Bright Endeavor The Liquor Dealer's Dream The Mandalay Song Surabaya Johnny Ballad of the Lily of Hell Finale: Lieutenants of the Lord (II) |
| Synopsis | Set in Chicago in 1919, the plot pits organized crime against the Salvation Army. Lieutenant Lillian Holiday makes a brave attempt to reform a group of gangsters led by Bill Cracker and the Lady in Gray. When Lillian gets too close to Bill, she is dismissed from the Salvation Army and the Lady in Gray frames Bill for murder. A botched bank robbery leads to a Christmas Eve standoff at the Salvation Army Mission. Just when Bill is about to be killed, a stroke of good fortune triggers a cascade of happy endings: The Lady in Gray is reunited with her long-lost husband, Lillian and Bill become engaged, and the reformed gang joins forces with the Salvation Army to fight their common enemy—heartless capitalists. |
| Roles | Singing roles: Bill Cracker (high baritone), Sam Wurlitzer (baritone), Dr. Nakamura (baritone), Johnny Flint (baritone), Captain Hannibal Jackson (tenor), Lieutenant Lillian Holiday (soprano), A Lady in Gray (mezzo-soprano), Sister Jane (mezzo); chorus, SATB. |