The spring before last I had the pleasure of dropping in on Adrienne Haan’s cabaret show, The Streets of Berlin. I was wowed by this singer’s charisma and stage presence and the commitment she demonstrated towards every lyric of the Weimar Republic “Song Book.” Germany’s culturally rich but poverty-stricken era was plagued with desperate social upheavals culminating in World War II.

Her selections on this CD are a very witty, sophisticated group, including some lovely (if perhaps satiric) ballads. Songs such as “The Kleptomaniac,” (original German lyrics: Frederick Hollaendar; English lyrics: Jeremy Lawrence) and “It’s All a Swindle” (music: Mischa Spoliansky; original German lyrics: Marcellus Schiffer; English lyrics: Jeremy Lawrence from tanslations by Kathleen L. Komar) are either hilarious or touching in their unapologetic celebration of mild depravity. The Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht (English lyrics: Leonard Lehman) “Nana’s Song” (a story song of a prostitute musing on the life she has led), is touchingly poignant, nostalgic and absent of self pity. It is the total opposite of the team’s classic “Pirate Jenny” (English translation: Marc Blitzstein) which has Haan spitting out the words of mad woman with a sly yet growling intensity.

Most every song on the CD is engaging and unique—the richly supportive twelve-piece band sounds as if it emanated from an Art Deco nightclub. I could imagine the large old-fashioned microphones and dancing couples decked out, grabbing at what pleasure they could muster. The horns are especially evocative. It is not surprising to learn that the celebrated arranger and conductor Heinz Walter Florin has also worked classically, as his band was “tight.”

On Berlin, Mon Amour, different challenges abound, as the studio amplifies any vocal issues the performer has (unless disguised by production tricks), however minor these things might seem on the stage. Ms. Haan seems to have three voices: one a talk/sing chest voice; one a mixy middle voice; and, finally, high floating soprano. Sometimes it is hard to manage a voice of such versatility and I would suggest that she take some numbers down to the chest voice to avoid the tricky mixed part of the voice, which was not always focused. Or, perhaps going higher would avoid the pit-falls of negotiating the middle of her range. She doessome very enticing singing, though, occasionally spinning out a lovely soprano when she clears her middle, and vice versa on the rich low notes. The true strength of this work emanates from her perfect diction and interpretations which are both sharp and sweet.

Melody Breyer-Grell
Cabaret Scenes
November 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org