Threepenny Brass: Deep Dive

Today we're going to do a deep dive into an arrangement of music from The Threepenny Opera
(Die Dreigroschenoper).

The Basics

The story starts in 1728, when John Gay wrote a parody opera called "The Beggar's Opera" based on the music of George Frederic Handel. Fast forward to 1928, when composer Kurt Weill and playwright Bertolt Brecht came together to present their "beggar's opera" in Berlin, following the same idea that John Gay had back in the 16th century.
The opera depicts 1920's German society rather satirically, and although the writers did not expect the musical to succeed, it was a marvelous hit and was performed more than 350 times before being banned by the Nazi government. The opera reached the U.S. by the 1950's and became the longest-running musical of its time, with over 2500 performances.

The Background

The Threepenny Opera begins with a Baroque-style overture, giving credit to our friend John Gay. The scene is set: Soho, London, 1830's. Below you'll find a description of the opera's three acts, found at http://www.threepennyopera.org/storySynopsis.php:

Act I

Act I begins in the shop of Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum, who runs a rather unusual business-he is the boss of London's beggars. He equips and trains them in return for a cut of whatever they can beg. In the first scene, he enrolls a new beggar with the help of his wife. After finishing with the new man, they notice that their grown daughter Polly did not come home the previous night. The scene shifts to an empty stable where Macheath himself is about to marry Polly, as soon as his gang has stolen and brought all the necessary food and furnishings. No vows are exchanged, but Polly is satisfied, and everyone sits down to a banquet. Since none of the gang members can provide fitting entertainment, Polly gets up and tosses off "Pirate Jenny," showing a surprisingly tough side of herself. The gang gets nervous when Chief of Police Tiger Brown arrives, but it's all part of the act; Brown had served with Mack in England's colonial wars and has prevented Mack from being arrested all these years. The old friends duet in the "Cannon Song" ("Army Song"). In the next scene, Polly returns home and defiantly announces that she has married Mack by singing the "Barbara Song." She stands fast against Mr. and Mrs. Peachum's anger, but she does let slip Brown's connection to Mack, which they will use to their advantage.

Act II

Polly tells Mack that her father will have him arrested. He is finally persuaded that Peachum has enough influence to do it and makes arrangements to leave London, explaining his bandit "business" to Polly so she can manage it in his absence. Before he leaves town, he stops at his favorite brothel, where he sees his ex-lover, Jenny. They sing the "Pimp's Ballad" ("Tango Ballad") about their days together, but Mack doesn't know Mrs. Peachum has bribed Jenny to turn him in. Despite Brown's apologies, there's nothing he can do, and off Mack goes to jail. After he sings the "Ballad of the Easy Life," another girlfriend, Lucy (Brown's daughter) and Polly show up at the same time, setting the stage for a nasty argument that builds to the "Jealousy Duet." After Polly leaves, Lucy engineers Mack's escape. When Mr. Peachum finds out, he confronts Brown and informs him that he will unleash all of his beggars during Queen Victoria's coronation parade, ruining the ceremony and costing Brown his job.

Act III

Jenny comes to the Peachums' shop to demand her bribe money, which Mrs. Peachum refuses to pay. Jenny reveals that Mack is at Suky Tawdry's house. When Brown arrives, determined to arrest Peachum and the beggars, he is horrified to learn that the beggars are already in position and only Mr. Peachum can stop them. To placate Peachum, Brown's only option is to arrest Mack and have him executed. In the next scene, Mack is back in jail and desperately trying to raise enough of a bribe to get out again, even as the gallows are being assembled. Soon it becomes clear that neither Polly nor the gang members can raise any money, and Mack prepares to die. Then a sudden reversal: A messenger on horseback arrives to announce that Macheath has been pardoned by the Queen and granted a castle and pension. The cast then sings the Finale, which ends with a plea that wrongdoing not be punished too harshly.

The Brass

After the opera's premiere in 1928, German conductor Otto Klemperer commissioned a suite of music from The Threepenny Opera for winds, brass, and percussion.
This arrangement for brass was done by Jorle Storlokken for the brass ensemble tenThing, an all-female Norwegian brass group led by famed trumpet soloist Tine Thing Helseth. The group began as a fun project for collaboration for Helseth, and has since performed all over Europe and the U.S.
This piece was released on tenThing's 2011 album, "10," which also includes arrangements from composers like Mozart, Greig, and Bizet.
This link takes you to a YouTube playlist of all seven movements of this brass suite.

I think there should be many more groups like this in the brass world,
but is this opera truly Better in Brass?
That's for you to decide.