Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Modern Classics)

The coming streaming of the ROH production of Mahagonny in English makes this book a very good buy. I've always found Mahagonny fascinating but baffling, and it seemed worth making an effort to understand it now that we can see it performed. I think this book is a great help. I still don't really understand it, but I'm closer than I was and perhaps when I've seen it things will be clearer. But I doubt it!

This is a really vaulable book that does its homework on Brecht effectively, and gives useful chapter and verse on contemporaneous politics.The translation is up to date and serviceable (there are 5 or 6 others to choose from).The one limitation is that it hasn't pursued the story from the side of Kurt Weill: the editor Steven Giles really should do this - it woud make quite a difference - and put out a second edition.

This was an excellent preparation before seeing the opera at the local cinema from the Royal Opera House.