Born on July 4 in Münster. Ute Lemper's date of birth almost sums up the artist's career: a German woman born on America's national holiday. A woman both deeply marked by her country's history and greatly influenced by Broadway musicals.
After studying at the Cologne Dance Academy and the Max Reinhardt School of Dramatic Art in Vienna, Ute Lemper began her acting career in Stuttgart, performing in plays by Fassbinder and Chekov. Thanks to her talents as an actress, singer and dancer, she soon joined the troupes of the great musicals. In 1983, at the age of 20, she took part in the premiere of the German version of Andrew Lloyd Weber's Cats in Vienna (available on Polydor). In 1988, she recorded the German version of Weber's Starlight Express (CBS).
France discovered her for the first time when Jérôme Savary staged Cabaret by John Kander and Fred Ebb. She played Sally Bowles (a role immortalized in 1972 by Liza Minnelli in Bob Fosse's film of the same name), a young American singer who performed at Berlin's Kit Kat Club in the early 1930s. Her performance earned her the Molière for Best Actress of the Year in 1987. Ten years later, she was Velma Kelly in the London version of Chicago by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, with Ruthie Henshall as Roxie Hart. In addition to the stage, Ute Lemper also embarked on a film career. In 1991, she starred in Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Book (she also contributed to the film's soundtrack by Michael Nyman), and in Robert Altman's Prêt-à-porter in 1994. Ute Lemper is also a dancer. In 1991, choreographer Maurice Béjart invented for her the ballet La Mort subite, which she created at the Palais des Congrès in Paris with the Béjart Ballet de Lausanne. Finally, she exhibited her paintings at the German Consulate in New York, the Goethe Institute in Washington and the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris.
At the heart of Ute Lemper's artistic research lies a meticulous exploration of Germany's recent history, a history that is both dark and luminous. As the symbol of a free Germany where creativity and cultural richness were at their peak, the Weimar Republic, the political regime that governed the country from 1919 to 1933, is a particular focus of her research. Composer Kurt Weill was one of the emblems of a music branded "degenerate" by the Nazis. Together with Bertold Brecht, he wrote numerous operas, songs, symphonies and cantatas: Les Sept Péchés capitaux, L'Opéra de quat'sous, (Ute Lemper recorded these 2 works on Decca in 1990 with the Berlin Sinfonetta) September Song and more. Since the start of her career, Ute Lemper has never ceased to revisit her work through recordings and performances: Ute Lemper sings Kurt Weill (2 volumes), Mahagonny Songspiel, Berlin Cabaret songs (there are two versions of the disc, in English and German), and more. She collaborates with choreographer Pina Baush on the Weil Revue, accompanied by Pina Bausch Tanztheater. An heir to German Expressionism, she is sometimes considered a new Marlene Diectrich.
Ute Lemper also explores other repertoires, and the world is her playground. She has performed standards by Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, Marlène Dietrich, Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Prévert and Joseph Kosma: Illusions (released in 1992) and City of Strangers (1995), both under the artistic direction of Bruno Fontaine. She took part in the public performance of The Wall on July 21, 1990, in Berlin, with Roger Waters. With Michael Nyman, she interprets texts by Rimbaud, Shakespeare and Paul Celan (Romanian poet) in their Songbook (CD released in 1992).
But Ute Lemper isn't only interested in the past. Art Mengo wrote Espace indécent for her in 1993 (their duet Parler d'amour, a hit in France, is performed on the English version of the album with Lyle Lovett). In October 1994, she took to the stage at Le Bataclan to defend her album. Composer Philippe Delettrez was involved in the creation of the 1997 album Nuits étranges, with lyrics by Ute Lemper. These two albums, both of which were well-received for their French variety sound, failed to thrill the crowds.
In 1998, she released a best of album entitled All that jazz, featuring songs from musicals and songs by Weill, Dietrich and Piaf. Finally, the album Punishing Kiss (2000) was probably the high point of her career. Together with Neil Hannon and Joby Talbot from The Divine Comedy, Ute Lemper moves towards a more pop style. Kurt Weil is obviously present, but above all, we discover Ute Lemper interpreting for the first time Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Nick Cave, song-writers of the highest order.
In June 2003, she created Nomade at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Conceived and directed by Canada's Robert Carsen, this musical, dramatic and choreographic show features 26 songs in 11 languages on the theme of travel and wandering. Accompanied by 9 musicians and 4 dancers, Ute sings works by Astor Piazolla, Jacques Brel, Bessie Smith, Kurt Weill, Tom Waits and more. The show was repeated in Germany and Italy the same year.
Today, Ute Lemper, mother of 3, lives in New York. She performs regularly on the world's greatest stages: La Scala in Milan, Théâtre de la Ville, Bouffes du Nord in Paris, Sydney Opera House, Barbican in London, Lincoln Center in New York, etc. She began a 5-month international tour in January 2007, stopping off in Paris at Salle Pleyel with a recital of French and German songs and excerpts from musicals.
