Listening to this ensemble, you would never guess that they're currently touring and making records. They have the romantic sound of a dance hall band, the kind from Fred Astaire movies. Take a look at their website, and you can see they even look the part. And despite Max Raabe's quicky sense of humor, this isn't a spoof. These are serious and talented musicians.
Enough of my opinion. What did you think of tonight's performance?
Edited to add: here's a NYT profile about Max Raabe. It's especially interesting to read how Raabe handles the romance of this era's music without creating a sense of nostalgia about that time in Germany's history.
If you haven't seen Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester, you don't know what you are missing. They brought down the house last night.
Listen to the music. You will be hooked!
http://www.palastorchester.de/index2.php
My date and I really enjoyed the concert! I had checked out the website in advance and got a little background on the group, but the performance itself was outstanding and way exceeded any expectations! The lead singer, who I assume was Max Raabe, was so entertaining & charming, as was the entire orchestra. I felt like I stepped into a 1920's/1930's dance hall. All that was missing (and that's a good thing) was the smoke! They set up each song that was in German with a story and translation so that we could understand what was being said/sung.
I can't tell you how much we enjoyed it! It really pays to check out obscure shows like this, as you never know what you could be missing. We even tried to buy a CD after the event but they sold out!
I enjoyed that show very much. I saw it with a German friend of mine. He also liked the show very much.
That man puts on a great show.
You will have another chance to catch this great act. They will transport you to another place and time. Everyone enjoyed this performance.
Kimmel Center
Perelman Theater
Saturday, November 4, 2006
7:30 PM
KCP - Max Raabe & The Palast Orchester