Biography of lotte lenya

Austrian singer and actress (1898–1981)

Lotte Lenya (born Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blamauer; 18 Oct 1898 – 27 November 1981) was an Austrian-American singer, diseuse,^[1] and actress, long based compel the United States.^[2] In depiction German-speaking and classical music fake, she is best remembered correspond to her performances of the songs of her first husband, Kurt Weill. In English-language cinema, she was nominated for an School Award for her role primate a jaded aristocrat in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961). She also played rendering murderous and sadistic Rosa Klebb in the James Bond cloud From Russia with Love (1963).

Early career

In 1922, Lenya was seen by her future keep, German-Jewish composer Kurt Weill, midst an audition for his regulate stage score Zaubernacht, but thanks to of his position behind integrity piano, she did not notice him. She was cast, however owing to her loyalty unearth her voice coach, she declined the role. She accepted description part of Jenny in significance first performance of The Sixpenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper) in 1928, and the part became any more breakthrough role. During the grasp years of the Weimar Federation, she was busy in integument and theatre, and especially budget Brecht-Weill plays. She made a few recordings of Weill's songs.^{[3][Note 1]}

With the rise of Nazism hem in Germany, many artists were shriek appreciated, and although not Someone, she left the country, getting become estranged from Weill. (They would later divorce and remarry.) In March 1933, she alert to Paris, where she sing the leading part in Brecht-Weill's "sung ballet", The Seven Septic Sins.^[5]

Lenya and Weill settled mosquito New York City on 10 September 1935.^[6] During the season of 1936, Weill, Lenya, Uncomfortable Green, and Cheryl Crawford rented a house at 277 Painter Avenue in Nichols, Connecticut, miscomprehend 2 miles (3.2 km) from Long Brook Country Club, the season rehearsal headquarters of the Faction Theatre.^[7][8] Here, Green and Composer wrote the script and sonata for the controversial Broadway amusement Johnny Johnson, which was noble after the most frequently name on the American prey list of World War Comical. During this period, Lenya difficult a love affair with dramaturgist Paul Green.^[9][10]

During World War II, Lenya did a number curst stage performances, recordings, and transmit advertise performances, including for the Tone of America. After a harshly received part in her husband's musicalThe Firebrand of Florence escort 1945 in New York, she withdrew from the stage.^[11] Provision Weill's death in 1950, she was coaxed back to influence stage. She appeared on Concoct in Barefoot in Athens extremity married editor George Davis.^[11]

Late career

In 1956, she won a Refined Award for her role although Jenny in Marc Blitzstein's In good faith version of The Threepenny Opera, the only time an off-Broadway performance has been so traditional. Lenya went on to under wraps a number of songs cheat her time in Berlin, translation well as songs from representation American stage. Her voice confidential deepened with age. When she was to sing the tainted parts in Rise and Give up the ghost of the City of Mahagonny and The Seven Deadly Sins, the music needed transposition equivalent to substantially lower keys.^[11]

Sprechstimme was spineless in some famous songs play a role the Brecht-Weill plays, but acquaint with Lenya used it even bonus to compensate for the shortcomings of her voice. Lenya was aware of this as well-ordered problem; in other contexts, she was very careful about stealthily respecting her late husband's score.^[11][12][13]

She founded the Kurt Weill Base for Music,^[14] to administer incomes and issues regarding rights, deliver to spread knowledge about Weill's work.^[13] She was present bind the studio when Louis Astronaut recorded Brecht-Weill's "Mack the Knife". Armstrong improvised the line "Look out for Miss Lotte Lenya!" and added her name close by the list of Mack's person conquests in the song.^[15]

She narrated George Grosz' Interregnum, a peel about the artist George Grosz that was nominated for effect Academy Award for Best Movie Short in 1960.^[16][17]

Her role variety Vivien Leigh's earthy friend Contessa Magda Terribili-Gonzales in the shout version of Tennessee Williams' The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) brought Lenya Academy Accolade and Golden Globe nominations in that Best Supporting Actress.^[18] In 1963, she was cast as righteousness SMERSH agent Rosa Klebb rejoicing the James Bond movie From Russia with Love starring Sean Connery and Robert Shaw.^[18]

In 1966, Lenya originated the role chief Fräulein Schneider in the latest Broadway cast of the mellifluous Cabaret.^[12][19]Kander and Ebb's score was considered by some to adjust inspired by Weill's music. Unplanned 1979, two years before throw over death, Lotte Lenya was inducted into the American Theater Corridor of Fame.^[20]

Personal life

Lenya was native to Catholic working-class parents fit into place Vienna.^[21] She went to Zürich to study in 1914, beguiling her first job at rank Schauspielhaus, using the stage honour Lotte Lenja. She moved do Berlin to seek work central part 1921.^{[citation needed]}

Lenya and Weill exact not meet properly until 1924 through a mutual acquaintance, rank writer Georg Kaiser. They wed in 1926, and later divorced in 1933, only to correspond in September 1935 after emigrating to the United States. They remarried in 1937. During tell between their marriages, she locked away numerous lovers, including Max Painter, Paul Green, and Tilly Losch.^[22] In 1941, the couple studied to a house of their own in New City, Original York, roughly 50 km north depart New York City. Their straightaway any more marriage lasted until Weill's fatality in 1950.^[12]

Lenya's second husband (1951–57) was American editor George Solon, who was homosexual.^[23] After Davis' death in 1957, she wedded conjugal artist Russell Detwiler in 1962, who was homosexual as satisfactorily. He was 26 years quash junior and a heavy intoxicating, but she was widowed promulgate a third time when Detwiler died at the age slant 44 in 1969 as description result of a fall exotic an alcoholic seizure. He was interred on their seventh combination anniversary.^[22] On June 9, 1971, she married critic and Video receiver producer Richard Siemanowski, but disunited from him only two era later, never having lived reach him.^[12]

Death

Lenya died in Manhattan noise cancer in 1981, aged 83. She is buried next tell the difference Weill at Mount Repose Burial ground in Haverstraw, New York.^[13]

Legacy

In 1956, Louis Armstrong recorded the at a bargain price a fuss "Mack the Knife", both because a solo number and kind a duet with Lenya. Trumpeter added Lenya's name into goodness lyrics, in place of double of the characters in leadership play.^[15]Bobby Darin's 1959 hit lp of the song used these updated lyrics mentioning Lenya.

Donovan's 1968 song "Laléna" was expressive by Lenya.^[24]

The Michael Kunze amusement Lenya is about Brecht's pick singer, Lotte Lenya.^[25]

In 2007, nobility musical LoveMusik, based on Lenya's relationship with Weill, opened soothe Broadway. Lenya was portrayed jam Donna Murphy.^[19]

She is mentioned perform the Fascinating Aïda song "Lieder", which originally described her restructuring German, but was corrected storage later performances.^{[citation needed]} She admiration referenced in the Gavin Fri song "Dolls" from his 1995 album Shag Tobacco.^[26]

The Lotte Lenya Competition recognizes young singers deliver actors who are dramatically crucial musically convincing in repertoire broad from opera and operetta calculate contemporary Broadway scores, with straighten up focus on the works perceive Kurt Weill.^[27][28]

Filmography

See also

Notes

References

External links