Thursday, March 1, 2012, 8 p.m.
Thursday, March 1, 2012, 8 P.M.
● Strathmore and Maestro Artist Management Present
Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester Max Raabe, vocals Cecilia Crisafulli, violin Thomas Huder, trumpet, vocals Michael Enders, trumpet, vocals Jörn Ranke, trombone, viola, vocals Bernd Frank, tenor sax, clarinet Johannes Ernst, alto sax, clarinet Sven Bährens, alto sax, clarinet Rainer Fox, baritone sax, clarinet, vocals Vincent Riewe, drums, percussion Bernd Hugo Dieterich, double bass, sousaphone Ulrich Hoffmeier, guitar, banjo, violin Ian Wekwerth, piano Michael Enders, musical director Tour production Palast Orchester: Frank Ebeling, production manager Bernd Meyer-Lellek,sound Dirk Lehmann, light Wilfried Haase, office manager Tour support: Neumann Microphones, Berlin Shure wireless systems The Music Center at Strathmore Marriott Concert Stage
Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester
Founded in 1986 by the charismatic baritone Max Raabe, Max Raabe und
das Palast Orchester embodies the high style and musical glory of the 1920s and ’30s, and has been heard throughout the United States, as well as in Shanghai, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Tokyo, Vienna, Amsterdam, Rome and Tel Aviv. Raabe captures the cunning rasp of the cabaret singer, the confident belcanto hero, the oily melodiousness of the revue beau, the carefree timbre of early jazz and the falsetto of ragtime, all backed by his 12-member band. Max Raabe’s art lies in revealing the enig-
24 applause at Strathmore • MARCH/APRIL 2012
matic intelligence, ambiguity, musical power and complexity of the “German chansons” from the turbulent Weimar Republic. In his performances he reminds us that between melancholy and irony, rebellion and resignation, elegy and slapstick there is often only half a measure, sometimes just a single note. Over the years, Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester have discovered that one of the secrets of a good show is diversity. Accordingly, the repertoire includes classics such as “I Kiss Your Hand Madame,” “My Little Green Kaktus” and “Heute Nacht oder nie” (“Tonight Or Never”) and staples from the American Songbook such as “Cheek To Cheek,” “Night And Day” and “I Got Rhythm.” The ensemble’s repertoire also includes vibrant rumbas and paso dobles. In 1997 the Palast Orchester celebrated its 10th anniversary with an audience of 20,000 at Berlin’s Waldbühne. In 2000 the album Charming Weill was released on BMG Classics, an homage to the composer Kurt Weill. In 2002 the Palast Orchester opened the Vienna Festival Weeks for an audience of 40,000 and in the same year made its U.S. premiere at Royce Hall in Los Angeles and the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. In spring 2004 Raabe and pianist Christoph Isreal made their New York debut in two sold-out solo concerts in the Neue Galerie. This and the following tour of Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester to Los Angeles, Atlanta and San Antonio launched them to fame in the U.S. In 2005 Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester made their Carnegie Hall debut. A 2007 Carnegie Hall concert was recorded live and released as Tonight or Never. Recent tours in the U.S. have included stops in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Pittsburgh, among many other cities. Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester also toured Israel for the first time in October 2010. In 2012, Universal Records will release Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester’s new album, One Cannot Kiss Alone, in the United States.