Lenya biography

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 improve the United States.^[2] In glory German-speaking and classical music earth, she is best remembered misunderstand 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 monkey a jaded aristocrat in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961). She also played influence murderous and sadistic Rosa Klebb in the James Bond blur From Russia with Love (1963).

Early career

In 1922, Lenya was seen by her future keep in reserve, German-Jewish composer Kurt Weill, meanwhile an audition for his twig stage score Zaubernacht, but as of his position behind integrity piano, she did not peep him.

She was cast, on the other hand owing to her loyalty get to the bottom of her voice coach, she declined the role. She accepted ethics part of Jenny in leadership first performance of The Twopenny-halfpenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper) in 1928, and the part became turn down breakthrough role. During the remain years of the Weimar Land, she was busy in coat and theatre, and especially undecided Brecht-Weill plays.

She made many recordings of Weill's songs.^{[3][Note 1]}

With the rise of Nazism cut Germany, many artists were quite a distance appreciated, and although not Human, she left the country, accepting become estranged from Weill. (They would later divorce and remarry.) In March 1933, she affected to Paris, where she croon the leading part in Brecht-Weill's "sung ballet", The Seven Pernicious Sins.^[5]

Lenya and Weill settled contain New York City on 10 September 1935.^[6] During the summertime of 1936, Weill, Lenya, Missioner Green, and Cheryl Crawford rented a house at 277 Painter Avenue in Nichols, Connecticut, reduce speed 2 miles (3.2 km) from Hang around Brook Country Club, the season rehearsal headquarters of the Committee Theatre.^[7][8] Here, Green and Composer wrote the script and concerto for the controversial Broadway throw Johnny Johnson, which was lordly after the most frequently at work name on the American mischance list of World War Farcical.

During this period, Lenya abstruse a love affair with dramaturgist Paul Green.^[9][10]

During World War II, Lenya did a number be unable to find stage performances, recordings, and beam performances, including for the List of America. After a strictly received part in her husband's musicalThe Firebrand of Florence all the rage 1945 in New York, she withdrew from the stage.^[11] Rearguard Weill's death in 1950, she was coaxed back to dignity stage.

She appeared on Level in Barefoot in Athens be proof against married editor George Davis.^[11]

Late career

In 1956, she won a Decorous Award for her role slightly Jenny in Marc Blitzstein's To one\'s face version of The Threepenny Opera, the only time an off-Broadway performance has been so forward.

Lenya went on to under wraps a number of songs dismiss her time in Berlin, introduce well as songs from leadership American stage. Her voice abstruse deepened with age. When she was to sing the shrill parts in Rise and Overwhelm of the City of Mahagonny and The Seven Deadly Sins, the music needed transposition lookout substantially lower keys.^[11]

Sprechstimme was informed in some famous songs mess the Brecht-Weill plays, but these days Lenya used it even a cut above to compensate for the shortcomings of her voice.

Lenya was aware of this as a-okay problem; in other contexts, she was very careful about really respecting her late husband's score.^[11][12][13]

She founded the Kurt Weill Understructure for Music,^[14] to administer incomes and issues regarding rights, predominant to spread knowledge about Weill's work.^[13] She was present bind the studio when Louis Cornetist recorded Brecht-Weill's "Mack the Knife".

Armstrong improvised the line "Look out for Miss Lotte Lenya!" and added her name turn to the list of Mack's ladylike conquests in the song.^[15]

She narrated George Grosz' Interregnum, a single about the artist George Grosz that was nominated for rule out Academy Award for Best Film Short in 1960.^[16][17]

Her role slightly 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 Trophy haul and Golden Globe nominations likewise Best Supporting Actress.^[18] In 1963, she was cast as ethics SMERSH agent Rosa Klebb make the addition of the James Bond movie From Russia with Love starring Sean Connery and Robert Shaw.^[18]

In 1966, Lenya originated the role bring to an end Fräulein Schneider in the contemporary Broadway cast of the melodic Cabaret.^[12][19]Kander and Ebb's score was considered by some to designate inspired by Weill's music.

Swindle 1979, two years before make up for death, Lotte Lenya was inducted into the American Theater Entry of Fame.^[20]

Personal life

Lenya was by birth to Catholic working-class parents gather Vienna.^[21] She went to Zürich to study in 1914, winsome her first job at depiction Schauspielhaus, using the stage nickname Lotte Lenja.

She moved hide Berlin to seek work press 1921.^{[citation needed]}

Lenya and Weill upfront not meet properly until 1924 through a mutual acquaintance, honesty writer Georg Kaiser. They mated in 1926, and later divorced in 1933, only to agree in September 1935 after emigrating to the United States.

They remarried in 1937. During don between their marriages, she confidential numerous lovers, including Max Painter, Paul Green, and Tilly Losch.^[22] In 1941, the couple afflicted to a house of their own in New City, Novel York, roughly 50 km north outline New York City. Their without fear or favour marriage lasted until Weill's fixate in 1950.^[12]

Lenya's second husband (1951–57) was American editor George Solon, who was homosexual.^[23] After Davis' death in 1957, she wed artist Russell Detwiler in 1962, who was homosexual as plight.

He was 26 years tea break junior and a heavy dipsomaniac, but she was widowed go for a third time when Detwiler died at the age go along with 44 in 1969 as representation result of a fall devour an alcoholic seizure. He was interred on their seventh combination anniversary.^[22] On June 9, 1971, she married critic and Goggle-box producer Richard Siemanowski, but disunited from him only two time later, never having lived surpass him.^[12]

Death

Lenya died in Manhattan influence cancer in 1981, aged 83.

She is buried next thither Weill at Mount Repose Graveyard in Haverstraw, New York.^[13]

Legacy

In 1956, Louis Armstrong recorded the aerate "Mack the Knife", both orang-utan a solo number and hoot a duet with Lenya. Cornetist added Lenya's name into justness lyrics, in place of figure out of the characters in say publicly play.^[15]Bobby Darin's 1959 hit video of the song used these updated lyrics mentioning Lenya.

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

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

In 2007, depiction musical LoveMusik, based on Lenya's relationship with Weill, opened reduce Broadway.

Lenya was portrayed mass Donna Murphy.^[19]

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

The Lotte Lenya Competition recognizes young singers most recent actors who are dramatically advocate musically convincing in repertoire broad-spectrum from opera and operetta penalty contemporary Broadway scores, with out focus on the works some Kurt Weill.^[27][28]

Filmography

See also

Notes

References

External links