In times like these, satire can be very welcome. The Seven Deadly Sins, a ballet by Kurt Weill with a libretto by Bertholt Brecht, is just that: a satire on unscrupulous (self-)marketing set in the USA. Sir Simon Rattle recorded it with the London Symphony Orchestra and has now released it - in view of the almost simultaneous inauguration of Donald Trump as US President, it could almost be seen as a commentary.

Weill wrote the music for The Seven Deadly Sins in exile in Paris in 1933, where the premiere also took place at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. The leading roles were played by soprano Lotte Lenya, tenor Otto Pasetti and dancer Tilly Losch, with ballet choreography by George Belanchine.

It tells the story of a family whose daughter Anna tours seven cities to earn the money to buy her own house. Each of the deadly sins - laziness, pride, anger, gluttony, fornication, greed and envy - is portrayed in an ironic way as a form of life and suffering for the girl. The figure of Anne is virtually halved for this purpose and, as Anna I, embodies the saleswoman burdened with increasing conflicts of conscience, while Anna II represents the increasingly unscrupulous ‘commodity’ for the financially exploitative male world.

Rattle and the LSO give the composition a lot of verve, which noticeably emphasises the satirical fun factor. The singing - performed almost without an accent in German - reinforces the form with its sometimes heavyweight, sometimes snappy performance. And that's a good thing, because the recording exudes the edgy, tough charm that has made the Weill-Brecht team a brand.

However, the Brits don't leave it at the deadly sins, but offer even more with the album. Firstly, there is the instrumental version of the Threepenny Opera, which seems a little thin without the lyrics, but hardly loses out to the complete package in terms of intensity.

There are also two of the Four Walt Withman Songs, namely their No. 1, Beat! Beat! Drums! and No. 4, Dirge for Two Veterans, as well as Street Scene, Act 1: Lonely House, which Weill composed in 1947 based on motifs by Elmer Rice and Langston Hughes. It is noticeable that the US pieces are much more pleasing and more suitable for Hollywood than the Brecht compositions, which still breathe harsh expressionism. This clearly shows how easily Weill was able to address the respective public taste.

The Seven Deadly Sins are recorded with a full-bodied sound. The LSO fills the frequency bands opulently and stands compactly. Nevertheless, transparency is maintained within the instruments and also between the orchestra and vocals. This creates an intense sound experience and provides the listener with 76 minutes of enjoyment. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)

Magdalena Kožená, mezzo-soprano
Andrew Staples, tenor
Alessandro Fisher, tenor
Ross Ramgobin, baritone
Florian Boesch, bass-baritone
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle, conductor