Articles and news related to live appearances

Publication: UK Jazz News
By:
Date: 9 June 2025

Ute Lemper at Cadogan Hall

‘Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill’- Friday 13 June 2025

Ute Lemper. Photo credit Jim Rakete
Ute Lemper. Photo credit Jim Rakete

Ute Lemper brings her “extraordinarily fresh take on familiar songs” by Kurt Weill to London this Friday…

Have you ever heard ‘Mack the Knife’? Well, of course you have. The swing classic, written in 1928 by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, has been covered by an astonishingly wide range of artists, including Michael Bublé, Nick Cave, Bobby Darin, the Doors, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Robbie Williams and Sting.

However, you have certainly never heard anything remotely like Ute Lemper’s latest version of the ballad of old gangster Macheath, which opens her new album, ‘Pirate Jenny: Kurt Weill Reimagined’. The album was released in March this year to mark the 125th birthday of the innovative German born, Jewish composer, excoriated and forced to flee by the Nazis, who became the toast of Broadway and Hollywood, before his untimely death after a heart attack at the age of just fifty years old.

The bold, and darkly evocative, beat-driven album was produced by Grammy-nominated David Chesky, long feted for his imaginative reissues, re-recordings and re-imaginings, and is released on Chesky’s own The Audiophile Society label.

Lemper, a forthright and enduring champion of Weill’s music, performs at London’s Cadogan Hall on Friday 13 June. Accompanied only by pianist Vana Gierig, the German-born chanteuse will bring her unique approach and peerless vocals to a selection of Weill’s music, ranging from the Berlin Weimar epoch classics, through those of his troubled French exile, to his timeless additions to the great American Song Book.

‘Pirate Jenny’, already lauded for its sultry, atmospheric noir groove and hypnotic beats, was co-produced by Lemper and Chesky and was inspired by an off the cuff, late night conversation between the two musician friends, in a New York city cab, heading home after a gig. Their intent was to do something radical with Weill, rethinking the cabaret classics for a younger generation, likely to be more familiar with the electronic vernacular of much of today’s music.

This is not the first time that Lemper has undertaken a similarly innovative project. Her 2000 collaboration with Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy, entitled ‘Punishing Kiss’, featured songs written especially for her by contemporary artists, including Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, Philip Glass and Tom Waits. The resulting album, recorded in London, has a distinctly contemporary edge and also succeeded in attracting a new, younger generation of listeners.

On ‘Pirate Jenny’, the result is an extraordinarily fresh take on familiar songs, including ‘Surabaya Johnny’ and ‘Salomon Song’, some of which were written almost 100 years ago. The album’s polyphonic vibe of rejigged and smoothened harmonies offers a nuanced, relaxing, interpretation of many of the often baleful narratives of the originals and, frequently, as on ‘Speak Low’ or in the Ira Gershwin-penned ‘My Ship’, revels in the distinctly Bossa Nova and Latin-influenced rhythms and syncopations for which Chesky, who grew up in Miami, is well known.

Lemper’s devotion to Weill, and to his music, which she first encountered, as a young dance and performance student in mid-1980s West Berlin, is undimmed. Her eyes shine as she recalls how she learned more of, and immersed herself in, the tragic, complex history of the Weimar period. “How could I not be aware of such history, in that brutally divided city, where the Cold War was still raging?”

Yet Lemper herself still professes surprise at the huge international success of her 1988 recording for Decca: ‘Ute Lemper sings Kurt Weill’. The album stayed at the top of Billboard’s crossover charts for over a year and is widely credited with emphatically bringing Weill’s music to a new, far broader, global audience.

“I will never forget, being here in London, around that time, and seeing the entire façade of Tower Records’ huge store in Piccadilly Circus plastered with my own face”. The record had a very distinctive monochrome sleeve, with green art deco detail, featuring a stylized black and white portrait of Lemper. The project, however, had a rather more mixed reception back in Germany.

“It was still too early,” posits Lemper. “Nobody in Germany was ready to look back and examine the period which led directly to the [Second World] War.” Time, though, has been a significant healer and, while the singer acknowledges that she has lived her own, very personal and complicated history with her native Germany, she now actually feels a peace and a calm whenever she returns there from New York’s Upper West Side, which she has called home since 1998.

“[Germany] has grown in my heart and the country now has a fixed place on the map of my preferences, in the mosaic of my own identity, but above all, in my trust,” she writes in her 2023 memoir: “Die Zeitreisende: Zwischen Gestern und Morgen” (Time Traveller. Between Yesterday and Tomorrow) published by Graff und Unzer, which swiftly became a Spiegel bestseller in Germany.

Lemper proves to be an acute and perspicacious historian, as well as a lyrical and moving writer, notably when she recalls her childhood, growing up in a devout Catholic household in the relative affluence of Münster in the West. She deftly conjures the tedium of church on a Sunday, with the suffocating whiff of incense and mothballs. Later, a family trip beyond the Wall, to the drab, grey streets of East Berlin with lengthy queues, peopled by the dejected and the downtrodden, on every corner, gave young Ute another stark lesson in 20th century history.

The polyglot Lemper, who has translated works by Brazilian Paulo Coelho and Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, into songs and who also speaks French and Italian, is equally poetic when recounting her own experience of the panic and strange aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in her newly adopted city. Her meditations on the abnormality and the solitude of the pandemic lockdown, cocooned with family in their isolated upstate New York retreat, are similarly both wise and penetrating.

After Cadogan Hall, Lemper is taking the Weill programme back to cabaret club, 54 Below, clearly one of the singer’s treasured, more intimate, venues, located for a dozen years in the basement of New York’s iconic Studio 54.

An exhaustive schedule of dates continues through the year, including performances of her theatrical and deeply personal, ‘Rendezvous with Marlene’, inspired by a long, and long ago, telephone call with her fellow German diva. Lemper is visibly moved as she describes performing her homage to Dietrich in Berlin’s Deutsches Theater, 33 years to the day after her funeral, when a planned tribute in the theatre was cancelled amid fears of protest by right wing radicals.

In April, Lemper also starred in Tanztheater Wuppertal’s revival of Pina Bausch’s mesmerizing production of ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’, which premiered in 1976. It is a two-part programme featuring first the ‘Ballet Chanté’ itself, followed by collage of Brecht and Weill’s most celebrated songs. It remains a milestone in the work of the late choreographer, Bausch, a fellow German icon. Lemper also mentioned plans, so far sadly unconfirmed, to bring the work, one of her personal favourites, to London’s Sadler’s Wells.

Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill at Cadogan Hall – Friday 13 June 2025, 7.30pm

Click here for the original article online.

Publication: London Post
By: Ldn-Post
Date: May 7, 2025

In honor of revolutionary composer Kurt Weill’s 125th birthday this year, acclaimed singer & actress Ute Lemper today announced her new album, Pirate Jenny, out April 25 via The Audiophile Society. Nearly 40 years after her breakthrough album Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill, she now presents fresh, electric reimaginings of Weill’s songs, whose critiques of societal injustices and corruption still ring true today.

Her first single “Mack the Knife” out on March 2nd, on Weill’s 125th birthday, followed by “Speak Low” from One Touch of Venus and “Pirate Jenny” from his work with Bertolt Brecht on The Threepenny Opera – full tracklist below. Sultry vocals and atmospheric beats are brought to life with The Audiophile Society’s immersive Mega-Dimensional Sound™, transporting longtime fans and new listeners alike to a smoky Berlin jazz club outside of time, reminiscent of Lemper’s award-winning roles as Cabaret’s Sally Bowles in Paris and Chicago’s Velma Kelly in New York and London.

“This project is about creating a new audience for Kurt Weill,” says Lemper. “By blending his timeless melodies with a groove. I’m opening the door for younger listeners who might not know his work. It’s about building a bridge between eras, where Weimar meets the club.”

A Billboard Crossover Artist of the Year, Lemper has reimagined icons like Marlene Dietrich (Rendezvous with Marlene is based on a three-hour phone call between Dietrich and Lemper), Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, alongside more modern collaborations with artists like Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, and Roger Waters (The Wall: Live in Berlin, 1990).

Pirate Jenny isn’t just a revival—it’s a reinvention. Whether you’re a fan of cabaret, a lover of jazz, or someone who lives for groove, this album promises a fresh perspective on music that has shaped generations.

Read original article online here.

Publication: HNA
By: Sascha Hoffmann
Date: 03.02.2025


Ute Lemper: Nahm ihr Publikum mit auf eine Zeitreise voller Gefühl und Klang. © Sascha Hoffmann

Sängerin Ute Lemper mit „Time Traveller“-Programm im Opernhaus

Ein tiefes, langgezogenes „i“ aus „Wann sind wir wieder frei?“ zieht sich in die Stille und setzt sich fest. Ein Moment, der bleibt. Nicht nur als Klang, sondern als Gefühl, als bohrende Frage, die sich mit Ilse Webers „Ich wandre durch Theresienstadt“ ins Bewusstsein gräbt. Ein leiser, doch unüberhörbarer Ruf gegen das Vergessen – und zugleich ein Sinnbild dieses Abends.

Ute Lemper singt sich am Freitag im ausverkauften Kasseler Opernhaus auf Einladung des Theaterstübchens nicht einfach durch ein Konzert, sie entfaltet eine Landschaft aus Erinnerungen, Musik, Geschichten. Ihr „Time Traveller“ ist keine bloße Retrospektive, sondern eine Reise durch Zeiten und Stationen, durch Kunst und Leben. Weills „Nannas Lied“ schimmert in ihrer Stimme zwischen Ironie und Melancholie, jede Zeile geformt mit müheloser Präzision. Sie gleitet durch das Chanson, taucht ein in das Berliner Kabarett, greift nach dem Jazz – bleibt dabei aber immer ganz bei sich.

Und dann – plötzlich ist die Dietrich da. Nicht als bloße Erinnerung, sondern als Echo in der Dunkelheit. Lemper rekonstruiert das Telefonat von 1988, als Marlene Dietrich sie warnte: „Halte dein Privatleben geheim, sonst fressen sie dich auf.“ Doch genau diesen Schutz wirft Lemper in „Time Traveller“ nun beiseite, ihrem Buch, wie auch dem dazugehörigen Liveprogramm. Heute, mit 61 Jahren, öffnet sie Fenster zu ihrem Innersten, spricht über die Zeitreise als Frau, als Mutter. Über das Wachsen, das Häuten, das Begreifen, dass alles sich verändert – genau so, wie es sein muss.

Die Töne fließen weiter, Vergangenheit und Gegenwart verschmelzen. „Sag mir, wo die Blumen sind“ wächst in den Raum. Sie singt nicht einfach. Sie fühlt. Lässt jeden Ton altern, reifen, schimmern. Immer behutsam an ihrer Seite: Vana Gierig am Piano, Giuseppe Bassi am Bass und Mimmo Campanale am Schlagzeug – ein Trio, das nicht nur untermalt, sondern knappe zwei Stunden mitträgt, mitfühlt, verstärkt.

Lemper spricht von Momenten, die kommen und gehen. Von Schritten vorwärts, zurück, seitwärts – wie das Leben selbst. Und so fühlt sich dieser Abend an, bis zum letzten Ton. Ein Atemzug, ein Innehalten – dann bricht Applaus los – erst tastend, dann rauschend, voller Anerkennung für eine grandiose Chanteuse, die nicht nur gesungen, sondern erzählt, gefühlt, bewahrt hat. Und das Publikum? Es hat nicht nur zugehört. Es ist offenen Herzens mitgereist.

Click here to read the article on HNA

Publication: Broadway World
By:
Date: December 13, 2024

Legendary cabaret artist Ute Lemper brought Kurt Weill’s works to vibrant contemporary life at Joe’s Pub, celebrating his upcoming 125th birthday.

For over four decades, Ute Lemper has stood as arguably the definitive interpreter of Kurt Weill’s music, combining fierce artistic integrity with a deep understanding of the historical and cultural forces that shaped his work. Her commitment to preserving and reimagining Weill’s legacy began in 1980s Berlin, where her groundbreaking recordings helped revive interest in his music. On November 26 and 29, anticipating Weill’s 125th birthday in 2025, Lemper brought decades of insight to Joe’s Pub, demonstrating why she remains unmatched in her ability to make these historic works speak to contemporary audiences.

Lemper transformed Joe’s Pub into something between a Weimar cabaret and a historical salon, creating an intimate evening that was equal parts performance, history lesson, and political commentary. Opening with “Pirate Jenny” from The Threepenny Opera, she immediately established the evening’s central tension between past and present. “I’m looking around and I’m not happy. Something is not right with this world,” she declared, before diving into a scathing critique of privilege that connected Weimar-era concerns to contemporary anxieties. Her interpretation moved fluidly between German and English, her delivery transforming from eerie grace to controlled fury as Jenny imagines violent revenge against her oppressors.

Lemper’s genius lies in her ability to make historical context feel urgently relevant. “Welcome to Weimar,” she announced, rattling off prices in millions of marks for basic necessities, including ”350 million paper marks for a loaf of bread,” drawing explicit parallels to modern inflation and democratic instability. Her reference to Hitler’s 1924 trial, noting how “he was so convincing he almost put the republic on trial,” landed with chilling resonance. “The Saga of Jenny” became a masterclass in temporal dialogue. Lemper transformed what could be a simple cautionary tale about female decisiveness into a nuanced exploration of agency and consequences. Her delivery of lines about Jenny’s memoirs causing wives to shoot their husbands created a complex commentary on female empowerment and its backlash.

The evening traced Weill’s artistic evolution through three crucial periods: Weimar Germany, Paris exile, and finally America. Lemper captured the dark irony of “Army Song,” while her interpretation of “Youkali,” written during Weill’s sojourn in Paris, combined dream and lament. Her voice carried both hope and pathos in lines that translate to “It’s a dream, a folly / There’s no such place as Youkali,” making the utopian vision feel impossible yet necessary.

Her command of the diseuse style — emphasizing dramatic delivery while maintaining musical sensibilities — particularly shone in songs like “Stranger Here Myself,” where Venus’s bewilderment at modern conventions becomes both comedy and social commentary. The performer’s interaction with the audience was masterful, asking for language preferences, and incorporating an audience member into the action. When discussing how Weill “started to call himself Kurt Weill” (with American pronunciation) in the United States, she touched on themes of immigration and reinvention that resonated powerfully with current debates.

After 40 years of performing this music, Lemper proves herself not just a performer but a crucial cultural translator. Her achievement lies in showing how Weill’s music, born from specific historical circumstances, transcends its moment to address universal themes of justice, love, and human dignity. In her hands, these songs might as well have been written for today.

Learn more about Ute Lemper and where to follow her at www.utelemper.com

See more upcoming shows at Joe’s Pub on their website.

Click here to read this article on Broadway World’s site.

Here are some beautiful photos of Ute Lemper by Azzurra Primavera from the FestambienteSud in Vieste on August 2, 2024, where she sang the love poems of Pablo Neruda.

This was a special event for the celebration of one hundred years since the publication of the collection Twenty Love Poems and a desperate song by Pablo Neruda.

Click on any image below to see a larger image.