Three separate art forms inspired this unique project from an already original artist. Mother Courage and Her Children collects the songs that Peter Wilson (aka Duke Special) wrote for a National Theatre production of Bertolt Brecht’s anti-war play.
Huckleberry Finn gathers the only five songs that Kurt Weill finished before he died, for his dramatisation of Mark Twain’s book. Mellow and melodic, they capture the work’s summery mood.
For The Silent World of Hector Mann Wilson asked 11 others to write a song ‘in a pre rock and roll style’ based on the title of a Mann film. Nearer to this Radio 2-featured artist’s normal fare, this is a cohesive set of stories.
Humorous, earthy, touching and inventive, the storytelling deftly captures human frailty throughout.
HIGH: The exceptional standard of lyric-writing.
LOW: Its quirkiness may put some off.
