TV and Radio appearances

by on

Publication: LouReviews.Blog
By: Louise Penn
Date: November 18, 2020

More of a dramatic piece than a concert, Ute Lemper (once described as “the new Marlene”) brings back the memory of the progressive woman, “Hollywood icon, chanteuse, soldier”, through song and speech. The woman who phoned her out of the blue back in the 80s, bringing their stories together in this touching show. This is Ute Lemper – Rendezvous With Marlene.

Sumptuously filmed with high production values, Lemper’s show, running at over two hours, is a feast for the eyes and ears. From the first note of Falling in Love Again (sung in German and English), we are in the presence of a practiced cabaret performer celebrating one of the very best. There is love up here on the screen and it shows.

I recall first seeing Lemper performing the catalogue of Kurt Weill. Her phrasing and deep connection to the music was apparent, and evoked memories of the singing of Lotte Lenya in works such as Die Dreigroschenoper. Now in glamorous late middle age, she has grown in style and stature.

Dietrich, of course, is iconic, whether in recordings, on the screen, or as a woman (androgynous, bisexual, polygamous, brave, outspoken, beautiful). Her image from all those black and white photographs, and her deep, husky voice, are instantly recognisable. You can believe she chatted to world leaders from her reclusive home in her final years.

Rendezvous with Marlene is perfect late night viewing, filmed in locked-down New York. Lemper displays a warm intimacy with her band and despite a lack of live audience, engages with the online viewers. Dietrich herself appeared a little more aloof in concert footage late in life, but this is no simple imitation. It is a snapshot in a remarkable life than made an impression on a young performer.

As an admirer of both women, I jumped at the chance to review this film. It inevitably loses that magical atmosphere and power which comes with live theatre and sharing a moment with other audience members and the performers, but Lemper’s respect for her subject is evident throughout and her own brand of allure and musical talent will keep audiences enthralled.

Ute Lemper – Rendezvous With Marlene, filmed at Club Cumming in New York with Alan Cumming and Ute Lemper as producers, will be streamed globally on three evenings. Thu 19 November at 7pm (UK time), Wed 25 November at 1am, and Sat 5 December at 7pm.

Booking link: https://www.stellartickets.com/events/club-cumming-productions/ute-lemper-in-rendezvous-with-marlene. $25 per ticket.

LouReviews received complimentary access to review Rendezvous With Marlene.

Read The original article online here.

by on

Click here (and scroll down slightly) to view the archive of the livestream performance and program from Ute’s living room, which was part of the Carnegie Hall Live Streaming series, honoring the 75th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camps with songs of rebellion, hope, defiance, and life-affirming resilience written during the Holocaust.

Accompanying Ute for this live performance of excerpts from Songs for Eternity, were Vana Gierig on Piano and Max Lemper on guitar, and the program featured a live conversation on Zoom with Orly Beigel in Mexico City (whose mother survived Bergen Belsen by being on the Death Train at Farsleben) and others.

by on

Publication: Süddeutsche Zeitung
Date: 19 April, 2020

Dessau-Roßlau/New York (dpa) – In Gedenken an die Befreiung der deutschen Konzentrationslager vor 75 Jahren gibt die international bekannte Musicalsängerin Ute Lemper am Dienstag ein Online-Konzert aus ihrem New Yorker Wohnzimmer. Das teilte am Sonntag das Kurt Weill Fest mit, das das Konzert am Dienstag (20.00 Uhr) auf seiner Facebook-Seite überträgt. Lemper werde bei dem Auftritt “Lieder der Rebellion, der Hoffnung und des Widerstands, die alle während des Holocausts geschrieben wurden” singen.

Der Auftritt ist Teil einer Konzertreihe der Carnegie Hall in New York, die für die Übertragung nach Europa mit dem Kurt Weill Fest kooperiert. Das Kurt Weill Fest musste in diesem Jahr wegen der Corona-Krise abgebrochen werden. Im vorigen Jahr hatte Lemper an dem 1990 ins Leben gerufenen jährlichen Festival zu Ehren des berühmten Komponisten teilgenommen. Kurt Weills Leben ist untrennbar mit dem Holocaust und den beiden Städten Dessau und New York verbunden: Er wurde 1900 in Dessau als Sohn eines jüdischen Kantors geboren.

Nach Regierungsantritt der Nazis floh er über Berlin und Paris in die USA. Am New Yorker Broadway wurde Weill mit seiner Musik zum Star. Er starb 1950 in New York. Auch Lemper spielte an der weltbekannten Musical-Meile in New York.

Festival-Intendant Jan Henric Bogen dankte Lemper und der Carnegie Hall für die gemeinsame Veranstaltung. “Es ist wunderbar, dass wir in diesen unsicheren Zeiten unserem Publikum etwas Trost und Zerstreuung durch Musik spenden können”, sagte Bogen. “Und wir freuen uns umso mehr darauf, wenn Musik-Erleben auch wieder gemeinsam im Konzertsaal möglich sein wird.”

Click here to read the article at Süddeutsche Zeitung online

by on

On April 21 at 2.00pm EST (USA), as part of the Carnegie Hall Live Streaming series, there will be a livestream performance and program from Ute’s living room.

In advance of her concert in April 2021 as part of the Voices of Hope: Artists in Times of Oppression festival, chanteuse Ute Lemper honors the 75th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camps with songs of rebellion, hope, defiance, and life-affirming resilience written during the Holocaust.

Accompanying Ute for this live performance of excerpts from Songs for Eternity, will be Vana Gierig on Piano and Max Lemper on guitar. This performance will commemorate the Holocaust and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp Bergen Belsen, and Ute will have a live conversation on Zoom with Orly Beigel in Mexico City, whose mother survived Bergen Belsen by being on the Death Train at Farsleben, that was liberated by the American Army on April 13th 1945.

Here are some related links:
Click here to RSVP on Facebook and get details on how to view the performance
A press article from Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung promoting the performance
Click here to read more about the Death Train.