September 2, 2021 | TheBerkshireEdge.com
The first thing you need to know is this: Kurt Weill is my very favorite composer. Whether it is music for the German stage or the French stage or the American stage, he is my favorite. Whether it is song, show, opera, orchestral, or concert piece, it is my favorite. This is just something you need to know. The second thing you need to know is I am a perfectionist and I cannot abide, nor will I accept, a slapdash or in any way inferior presentation of his music. There is one more thing you have to understand about me and Kurt Weill: I will travel just about anywhere to hear his work performed; I have traveled to Washington, D.C., London, Germany, Italy, and South Carolina so far and who knows where my obsession may take me next. Last night I traveled through the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, all the way to Chatham, New York to hear a concert/lecture recital of Weill’s work on stage at the Mac-Haydn Theatre, performed by James Benjamin Rodgers. The New Zealand native has me beat. He traveled all the way here to sing Kurt Weill.
