Marc Blitzstein

Marc Blitzstein ( born March 2, 1905 in Philadelphia, † January 22, 1964 in Fort- de -France, Martinique) was influenced by Kurt Weill and Paul Dessau American composer, social criticism with charm and humor combined. The most successful he was with the musical " for the Orson Welles troupe ". He also emerged with opera and an English version of Brecht / Weill's Threepenny Opera.

Life

The son of a wealthy banker, who is set on the other hand conservative in social matters progressive, in the musical, the talented Blitzstein had early piano lessons with Alexander Siloti. His professional debut was as a 21- year-old with the first piano concerto by Liszt, which was presented by the Philadelphia Orchestra. He first studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, and later temporarily with Arnold Schoenberg in Berlin and Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Blitzstein's 1930 created piano works reveal Boulanger's influence. Back in the States, he joined the New York Group Theatre, where he worked with Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, Elia Kazan, Clifford Odets. Despite his homosexuality, he married in 1933, the novelist Eva Goldbeck, which makes him aware of the pieces Berthold Brecht. Soon after Blitzstein joined the Communist Party. He also wrote for left leaves such as New Masses. Goldbeck ( born in Berlin in 1901 ) died in 1936 from anorexia and breast cancer, which Blitzstein took strong. He threw himself into the work on his opera The Cradle Will Rock. The establishment tried to stop her performance, but she went to the small Mercury Theatre 108 times over the stage and made its creator famous overnight.

Theater director Halli Flanagan, Orson Welles and Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times describe Blitzstein as all style means dominant, energetic composer who einschwört all contributors to the lying within easy reach earthly Garden of Eden. 1939 met Blitzstein, Leonard Bernstein, showing a close friendship and cooperation resulted. During the 2nd World War Blitzstein served in the army; at times as musical director of the U.S. broadcasting in London. His Threepenny Opera by Brecht / Weill brought it in the seven years from 1954 to 2611 performances on Broadway. 1958 Blitzstein was summoned before the infamous McCarthy Committee. He admitted his membership in the Communist Party, but refused to reveal the names or otherwise cooperate. A year later brought Blitzstein the musical Juno by Sean O'Casey out. For his biographer Eric A. Gordon Blitzstein was the first theater composer who brought the authentic American of all social classes from immigrant workers to the bosses on the stage. In January 1964, Blitzstein came as a holiday on the Caribbean island of Martinique, one night in a drunken state at three Portuguese sailors who forcibly undressed him and so brutally beating that he died the next day in hospital.

Blitzstein also wrote chamber and orchestral music; a complete list can be found on the official website. In the following, only the most important stage works.

Works (selection)

  • The Harpies, opera, 1931
  • The Condemned, opera, 1932
  • The Cradle Will Rock, Musical, 1936
  • No for an answer, musicals, 1937-40
  • Symphony: The Airborne, 1945-46
  • Regina, Opera, 1946-48
  • Reuben Reuben, musicals, 1949-55
  • Juno, Musical, 1958
  • Idiots first, opera, 1962-64 (fragment )
Fort-de-France Group Theatre (New York) Bertolt Brecht Broadway theatre Integrated Authority File
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