TALK | with Artist IAN WEKWERTH

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.