--- product_id: 21306027 title: "Weill: Rise & Fall of the City of Mahagonny [Blu-ray]" brand: "kaaschkonigsommer" price: "VT15776" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/21306027-weill-rise-and-fall-of-the-city-of-mahagonny-blu store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Weill: Rise & Fall of the City of Mahagonny [Blu-ray] **Brand:** kaaschkonigsommer **Price:** VT15776 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Weill: Rise & Fall of the City of Mahagonny [Blu-ray] by kaaschkonigsommer - **How much does it cost?** VT15776 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/21306027-weill-rise-and-fall-of-the-city-of-mahagonny-blu) ## Best For - kaaschkonigsommer enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted kaaschkonigsommer brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Jane Henschel, Willard White, Measha Brueggergosman, and Michael Koenig star in this La Fura dels Baus/Teatro Real production of the Weill opera conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado. ## Images ![Weill: Rise & Fall of the City of Mahagonny [Blu-ray] - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71OVOoSiSOL.jpg) ![Weill: Rise & Fall of the City of Mahagonny [Blu-ray] - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Tfe5AkXdL.jpg) ![Weill: Rise & Fall of the City of Mahagonny [Blu-ray] - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91AqhMQiw0L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It don't get much better *by S***N on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 14, 2012* I was NOT prepared for this dvd. Diffidently (after all, what does Madrid know about Weill?), I ordered it simply to have another copy of MAHOGANNY, a work I adore.Can you spell "schmuck"? That's what I was calling myself ten minutes into the performance. It is, simply, the most intelligent production of this "opera" I have seen (pray, be not impressed; I've seen only three others, but I've re-seen them many times).Conducting: one couldn't wish for better. The cast: not one dud amoung them, not a one (check out Jenny's trill in "Moon of Alabama" - it is to swoon). The mise en scene? Oh, man, don't get me started. It's like a Broadway show; it's like the best of contemporary opera; it's like the old 60's days of the Living Theater. Yet it's too something "also" on which right now I can't put my finger. To borrow a phrase from Talulah B, it's a goddamn miracle. The chorus? Spot on.Underlying all is the translation of Brecht's libretto into American English. It's superb, comperable to the translation (Blitzstein's ?) of the Threepenny Opera that put Weill/Brecht on the Manhattan scene back in the 50's. For a while my Inner Purist (who can be SUCH a bore!) fussed about losing the German...until I remembered that Weill, upon coming to Manhattan and claiming a historical place among Broadway's greats, being so ashamed of his native country rolling over for the Nazis, refused to speak a word of German. That made it all right. That made it OK. In this performance, Mahoganny, takes its place in musical history in an entirely new context: Weill in Manhattan. I think he would have loved it.But all that's intellectual twaddle. If you have a love for Weill and his works, please do not deny yourself the pleasure of this performance. And don't expect a better one anytime soon.I know of none better, though I know of one very close.Madrid, bravo!Er...make that bravissimi! Tutti!Disclosure: I am not acquainted with anyone involved in the production of this dvd, nor do I have any financial interest therein. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Magnificent *by L***E on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 12, 2013* Like another reviewer, I was hesitant about a production that was not sung in the original German. Silly, silly me. This is a great production, complete with a couple of surprises. The singing is superb and the staging ingenious. I really love this. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good La Fura dels Baus production *by K***E on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 7, 2011* When it was originally composed in 1930, Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht intended Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny) to be as much a satire of opera and a reaction to the state of the Weimar Republic. Now, when taken alongside such like-minded work contemporary works by Hindemith and Berg, it just sounds like great opera - but it still functions as a scathing satire on all the subjects it deals with, particularly the nature of capitalism, on which it still has very relevant points to make. You can call it music theatre if you like, but Weill's score for Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny is considerably more sophisticated than that, working in a variety of styles to create a deliberate alienating effect, drawing on specific references, creating dissonance and unsettling arrangements, using unexpected plot points to keep the listener engaged and keep them from complacently and unquestioningly accepting operatic conventions.If you need any convincing that Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny can aspire to great opera however, this 2010 production at the Teatro Real in Madrid, directed by La Fura dels Baus might be just the ticket. Their unconventional approach to opera staging, which could even be considered anti-theatre, certainly has a Brechtian influence, so it's no surprise to find that that the Catalan group are absolutely perfect for this particular work. Directed by Alex Ollé and Carlus Padrissa, there are no projections this time - other than the titles of each of the sections (in Spanish here, not translated on the screen) - and no elaborate designs, no acrobatic wire work and no off-the-wall concepts. Everything is tailored directly towards the expression of the ideas in the work, finding the most imaginative and impactful way of putting it across, without relying on stagy conventions. The satire effectively makes all its points - from the expectations of the individual to the concept of justice - all within the umbrella of the capitalist system, and it doesn't need any specific or easy-target anti-American agenda attached for the concept to stand on its own and be applied by the listener to their own experience of the system.I'm not sure why it was chosen to use the US revision of the original opera, singing it in English and changing Jimmy Mahoney to Jimmy MacIntyre, particularly as there are a few native German speakers in the cast here and others, like Henschel, have a strong footing in German opera. If it's another attempt at alienation effect to keep the audience guessing, then it works. Most importantly however, the casting and singing is superb. Jane Henschel is superbly capable in the whole range from singspiel-like dialogue to more conventional opera singing, as well as being a fine actress in the role of Widow Begbick. Jenny Smith is an important piece of casting, and Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman makes an incredible impression, oozing sensuality and absolutely electric in her scenes with Michael König's fine Jimmy MacIntyre. The balance right across the board in the other roles seems perfect, consistently hitting the right note, as do the Chorus of the Teatro Real, who give their all in the scantiest of costumes and in the most... well... indelicate situations. One can't fault the commitment either of the Madrid orchestra under Pablo Heras Casado.I don't know if it's to do with the encoding, but Bel Air releases often look a little juddery in motion on my set-up - but generally the image is fine, and even if movements aren't smooth, I didn't find it too distracting. The audio tracks, in LPCM Stereo and DTS HD Master Audio 5.1, are both good, but there's not much to choose between them. There are no extra features on the disc, and only a synopsis in the booklet. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/21306027-weill-rise-and-fall-of-the-city-of-mahagonny-blu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/21306027-weill-rise-and-fall-of-the-city-of-mahagonny-blu) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-10*