It was a delight to interview Ute Lemper for a recent episode of Harmonious World, and her performance at London’s Cadogan Hall gave me the chance to hear her sing live for the first time in 35 years. The first time I was aware of Ute’s voice was in the planning stages of ‘The Wall’ Berlin 1990, when I was working for the Producer, Mick Worwood. Mick had conversations with Roger Waters about the artists that would be appearing on stage and the name Ute Lemper came up very early in conversations. Even then, she was becoming renowned for her incredible voice and her performances of the work of Kurt Weill. Now, 35 years later, I heard some of those songs live, with just a piano accompaniment. Long-term collaborator Vana Gierig was more than an accompanist and clearly the musical understanding between these two consummate artists is intense. There was humour and polish in the entire show, which included personal and innovative arrangements of some much-loved Weill classics. Everything fro...
Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician
Music and words