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Publication : The Portable Infinite
Date: 2/13/2025

“Fierce, multilingual chanteuse Ute Lemper” – The New York Times

“She may channel the likes of Dietrich and Piaf, with a strong sense of Jean Ross, but Lemper is still very much her own woman” – The Guardian

“A chanteuse of unique range and ability across all media” – The Washington Post

“It’s about building a bridge between eras, where Weimar meets the club.” – Ute Lemper on Pirate Jenny

February 13, 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” will be 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.”

Lemper will perform some of Weill’s eternal classics live at 54 Below on Tuesday, May 27, and Thursday, May 29 – tickets here.

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.

Track List

Mack the Knife
Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht / Music: Kurt Weill
The Threepenny Opera
English adaptation by Marc Blitzstein

Speak Low
Lyrics: Ogden Nash / Music: Kurt Weill
One Touch of Venus

Surabaya Johnny
Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht / Music: Kurt Weill
Happy End
English adaptation by Marc Blitzstein

My Ship
Lyrics: Ira Gershwin / Music: Kurt Weill
Lady in the Dark

Pirate Jenny
Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht / Music: Kurt Weill
The Threepenny Opera
English adaptation by Marc Blitzstein

Le Grand Lustucru
Lyrics: Jacques Deval / Music: Kurt Weill
Marie Galante

Ballade vom Ertrunkenen Mädchen
Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht / Music: Kurt Weill
The Flight of Lindbergh

The Salomon Song
Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht / Music: Kurt Weill
The Threepenny Opera


Photo Credit: Jim Rackete

Click here to read the original article on The Portable Infinite site.

 

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Publication: Broadway World
By: 
Date: Feb. 13, 2025


Photo Credit: Jim Rackete

Her first single “Mack the Knife” will be out on March 2nd, on Weill’s 125th birthday.

In honor of revolutionary composer Kurt Weill’s 125th birthday this year, acclaimed singer & actress Ute Lemper has 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” will be 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.”

Lemper will perform some of Weill’s eternal classics live at 54 Below on Tuesday, May 27, and Thursday, May 29 – tickets here.

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.

Track List

Mack the Knife
Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht / Music: Kurt Weill
The Threepenny Opera
English adaptation by Marc Blitzstein

Speak Low
Lyrics: Ogden Nash / Music: Kurt Weill
One Touch of Venus

Surabaya Johnny
Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht / Music: Kurt Weill
Happy End
English adaptation by Marc Blitzstein

My Ship
Lyrics: Ira Gershwin / Music: Kurt Weill
Lady in the Dark

Pirate Jenny
Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht / Music: Kurt Weill
The Threepenny Opera
English adaptation by Marc Blitzstein

Le Grand Lustucru
Lyrics: Jacques Deval / Music: Kurt Weill
Marie Galante

Ballade vom Ertrunkenen Mädchen
Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht / Music: Kurt Weill
The Flight of Lindbergh

The Salomon Song
Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht / Music: Kurt Weill
The Threepenny Opera

About Ute Lemper:

Ute Lemper’s decades-long career spans stage, film, and music, with over 30 recordings. Renowned for her interpretations of Berlin Cabaret, Kurt Weill, Brecht, and chanson legends like Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf, she has also starred in major musicals across Broadway, the West End, Paris, and Berlin. She won the American Theater World Award and the Laurence Olivier Award for her performance as Chicago’s Velma Kelly in the West End and on Broadway, the Molière Award for her performance as Cabaret’s Sally Bowles in Paris, among others, and earned Grammy nominations.

Her global tours feature diverse projects, including Rendezvous with Marlene, Songs for Eternity, and tributes to Piazzolla and Brecht. She has composed music inspired by Bukowski, Neruda, and Coelho and released a bestselling autobiography in 2023. She released her self-penned and contemporary album Time Traveler just last year. Singing in five languages, she continues to perform worldwide. A longtime New York resident, she lives there with her family and four children.

Click here to read the article on Broadway World’s site

 

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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

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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.