Max Raabe & Palast Orchester March 10, 2012

Full details at http://www.ums.org/s_current_season/artist.asp?pageid=684
“Max Raabe and his 12-piece Palast Orchester are recreating the music of the Weimar era with verve and class.” (Time Out New York) A nostalgic homage to the legendary nocturnal flair of the Weimar Era, Max Raabe and Palast Orchester embodies the high style and music glory of the 1920s and 1930s. The debonair Raabe has a singular ability to capture the cunning rasp of the cabaret singer, the confident bel canto hero, the oily melodiousness of the revue beau, the carefree timbre of early jazz, and the falsetto of ragtime, all backed by his stellar 12-member band. His art lies in revealing the enigmatic intelligence, ambiguity, musical power and complexity of the “German chansons” from the turbulent Weimar Republic — and then shaking it up with a completely unexpected cover from the contemporary pop realm. In his amazing and simply fun performances, he keenly 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, or a mere word. Max Raabe and Palast Orchester will surely “disarm and charm with impeccable glamour.” (The Boston Globe) “Fascinating. A born crooner.” (The Washington Post)