DECONSTRUCTING CAPITALISM THROUGH MUSIC: A PERFORMER’S PERSPECTIVE ON WEILL AND BRECHT’S ”DIE SIEBEN TODSÜNDEN”
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Babeș-Bolyai University / Cluj University Press
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This performance-based study examines Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s ”Die sieben Todsünden” (1933) through dual analytical lenses: as a radical sociopolitical critique and as a virtuosic vocal challenge. The work’s unique fusion of ballet chanté form with biting capitalism satire creates a performative space where musical technique and ideological subversion intersect. By interrogating both the score’s structural innovations and its embodied demands, this article reveals how “Die sieben Todsünden” compels performers to become co-conspirators in its deconstruction of capitalist values. This article makes two significant contributions: it advances scholarly understanding of 20th-century musical theater by exposing the performative dimensions of Weill’s political critique, while simultaneously providing pragmatic solutions for contemporary singers navigating the work’s technical extremes. The included performance annotations and offer a model for reconciling virtuosic demands with ideological intentionality—a vital framework for today’s socially engaged musicians.