They are always neatly dressed and extremely polite. Max Raabe and the
members of the Palast Orchester could have easily stepped out of
Berlin’s Golden Twenties. They have long since gained an
international reputation with their unique repertoire of music by such
legends as Friedrich Holländer, Kurt Weill and Werner Richard
Heymann. The music is elegant and charming, but also bears witness to
a surprising quality - German humor. Raabe is the driving force behind
the orchestra, which was founded in 1986. While his peers turned to
punk music, Raabe was drawn to those who were also committed to the
music of the golden Hollywood era and the legendary cabarets of the
Weimar Republic. The pianist Ian WEKWERTH JOINED THE PALAST ORCHESTER
IN THE FOUNDING YEAR. In the early 2000s the orchestra toured North
America for the first time and WEKWERTH WAS SOON ASKED TO GIVE SHORT
LECTURES AND TO LEAD DISCUSSIONS ON THE HISTORY OF THE ORCHESTRA AND
THE WEIMAR ERA.
Before the concert of Max Raabe & Palast Orchester at the Chicago
Symphony Center, we welcome Ian Wekwerth at the Goethe-Institut, where
he takes us back to the time of the Weimar Republic. With musical
examples from the current concert program, he builds a bridge to the
history of the songs, their composers and lyricists - often Jews who
were persecuted by the Nazis from 1933 onwards. The attentive listener
will also learn why a Gorilla with a Villa in the Zoo has led to
several Carnegie Hall concerts by Max Raabe & Palast Orchester, as
well as hear about other anecdotes from the history of the ensemble.
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16/04/2020 Last update