Kurt Weill: Master of Musical Theatre and Exile

German-American composer renowned for merging classical, jazz, and popular styles in socially critical stage works.Born in Dessau, Germany, Weill achieved fame through collaborations with Bertolt Brecht in Weimar-era Berlin. Fleeing Nazi persecution in 1933, he revitalized Broadway in America before dying prematurely at 50.
  • Weill's marriage to singer Lotte Lenya endured two divorces and remarriages; she became the iconic interpreter of his works despite infidelities and separations.
  • Nazis denounced Weill's music as 'degenerate art' after Hitler attended a 1930 performance of 'Mahagonny,' forcing his exile from Germany.
  • His Broadway hit 'Lady in the Dark' (1941) featured lyrics by Ira Gershwin and psychoanalytic themes, breaking conventional musical theatre boundaries.
  • Weill's sudden death from a heart attack at 50 occurred while working on a musical adaptation of 'Huckleberry Finn,' leaving multiple projects unfinished.
  • Though initially dismissed by purists, his jazz-infused 'Threepenny Opera' (1928) became a global phenomenon, with 'Mack the Knife' later popularized by Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin.