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New Mahagonny Production in Stuttgart Foregrounds Female Perspective

Jun. 28, 2024

Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny is by now securely part of the opera repertoire. Its frequent productions exhibit a wide range of directorial approaches. The “Next Generation” winner of the 2021 Mortier Award, Ulrike Schwab has brought to Staatsoper Stuttgart a perspective that foregrounds the two female leads, Leokadja Begbick and Jenny. As described by Dominique Adrian in Resmusica, “the director portrays Jenny with visible sympathy and makes Begbick out to be a self-confident woman, not at all a victim.” Schwab’s perspective is supported by strong casting, with Adrian lauding Ida Ränzlöv’s Jenny as “phenomenal” and Ludwig Steinbach assessing Alisa Kolosova’s Begbick in Der Opernfreund as “imposing and exemplary.” This approach, praised by some, also brought some signs of critical unease. Markus Thiel writing in Merkur warns against the “cliché corner” of the “female buddy movie,” though he concludes that Aufstieg can “tolerate the reevaluation well.”


Trailer: Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny at Staatsoper Stuttgart

Schwab empowers her two protagonists at the center of what one reviewer described as a “high-speed, evil variety show” in a set design by Pia Dederichs and Lena Schmid that evokes Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment.” The position of the orchestra onstage rather than in the pit led to acoustic concerns, particularly in the earlier part of the piece during which the use of classic Brechtian curtains muffled the sound. With the passage of the hurricane having blown down the curtains, the orchestral sound emerged to better effect. Alexander Walther of the Online Merker lauds the Stuttgart State Orchestra’s performance under Cornelius Meister as “brilliant,” and likewise appreciates that of the State Opera Choir under the direction of Manuel Pujol as “excellent.”


Behind-the-Scenes Preview: Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny at Staatsoper Stuttgart

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