Musiktheater

In class, we listened to versions of "Pirate Jenny" from the Threepenny Opera, one by Lotte Lenya and the other by Nina Simone. This comparison sparked a discussion of how translation is not just a linguistic operation, but also a matter of transmuting historical and political contexts. 

"Totale Finsternis" from Tanz der Vampire (1997)

(Translated by Shannon Paeth)

Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” was actually originally titled “Vampires in Love” because Jim Steinman was writing it for a musical adaptation of Nosferatu. Later he included this German version (with lyrics by Michael Kunze) in his musical, Tanz der Vampire. 

"So muss ich allein bleiben" from Die Fledermaus (1874)

(Translated by Isabelle Drain)

"Ich war noch niemals in New York" (1982) in Ich war noch niemals in New York (the musical)

(Translated by Ted Wise)