MAX RAABE & THE PALAST ORCHESTER RETURN TO CHICAGO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 26, 2015
Press Contacts:
Eileen Chambers, 312-294-3092
Rachelle Roe, 312-294-3090
Photos Available By Request
[email protected]
MAX RAABE & THE PALAST ORCHESTER RETURN TO
CHICAGO WITH ALL-NEW SHOW—A NIGHT IN BERLIN
April 8 at 8 p.m.
CHICAGO—Max Raabe & The Palast Orchester return to Chicago for a Symphony Center
Presents (SCP) special concert on Wednesday, April 8, at 8 p.m. Raabe and his vintage swing
band mark their third Symphony Center appearance with this performance of their all-new
show—A Night In Berlin. Led by founder and vocalist Max Raabe, the Berlin-based, 12-piece
ensemble embodies the high style and musical glory of the 1920s and ‘30s, specifically the jazz,
swing and cabaret hits of “Weimar Era” Germany.
Raabe became enthralled with 1920s and ‘30s music after discovering an old record in his
parent’s collection. After his graduation from Berlin University, Raabe trained as a classical
baritone singer, but his heart was in “Weimer Era” music. He gathered 12 other students that
shared his interest and founded the Palast Orchester. Most recently, Raabe teamed up with
German singer, musician and composer Annette Humpe to release two albums, one of which
went platinum in 2012.
Founded in 1987 by Max Raabe, the Palast Orchester has spent nearly three decades creating
music inspired by hits from 1920s music, developing their distinctive style, and performing
internationally including performances in the U.S. Their eclectic repertoire of more than 400
pieces comprises selections from the Great American Songbook, as well as beloved operas and
operettas such as Brecht and Weill’s “Three Penny Opera” and “The White Knight.” They also
perform more popular pieces described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “The most elegant
kind of pop music.” A Night in Berlin, the group’s latest program, was recorded live in Berlin´s
iconic Admiralspalast theater in May 2014 for a popular new DVD/CD that was released in
December 2014.
Tickets for all Symphony Center Presents concerts can be purchased by phone at
800-223-7114 or 312-294-3000; online at cso.org, or at the Symphony Center box office: 220
S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60604.
Discounted student tickets for select concerts can be purchased, subject to availability, online
in advance or at the box office on the day of the concert. For group rates, please call 312-2943040.
Symphony Center Presents
Special Concert
Wednesday, April 8, 8 p.m.
Max Raabe & Palast Orchester
A Night In Berlin
Max Raabe, vocals, conductor, founder
Cecilia Crisafulli, violin
Sven Bährens, alto-sax, clarinet, bass-clarinet
Bernd Dieterich, double-bass, sousaphone
Michael Enders, trumpet, vocal, music director
Johannes Ernst, alto-sax, clarinet
Rainer Fox, baritone-sax, bass-sax, clarinet, vocals
Bernd Frank, tenor-sax, clarinet
Ulrich Hoffmeier, guitar, banjo, violin
Thomas Huder, trumpet, vocal
Jörn Ranke, trombone, viola, vocal
Vincent Riewe, drums, percussion
Ian Wekwerth, piano
Tickets: $35-$85
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About Max Raabe
Max Raabe was born in Lünen, Westfalia on 12.12.1962. In his 20s he moved to Berlin to study singing at
the Berlin University Of The Arts. After graduation he gathered experience as classical baritone but soon
realized that his heart beat for the music of the Weimar Era. As no band existed that played this repertoire
he teamed up with 12 fellow students and founded the Palast Orchester in 1986.
Since his graduation as certified baritone he and his ensemble have been enjoying international success
on concert tours through Europe, USA, Asia and Israel. His latest CD Für Frauen ist das kein Problem
(For women that´s no problem) is his second cooperation with the pop-producer Annette Humpe. Their
first, Küssen kann man nicht alleine (One Cannot Kiss Alone), was awarded platinum in 2012.
Max Raabe & Palast Orchester are internationally-renowned for entertainment at its best. The reason for
their success lies in the uniqueness and excellent quality of their performance. The classically trained
musicians work as seriously at the interpretation of their music as they would at that of a composition by
Beethoven. Max's drily witty concert announcements provide a humorous counterpoint and a main
attraction in the show.
Over the years, Raabe has consistently managed to surprise his audience. The CD, Charming Weill , with
rediscovered dance-band arrangements of Kurtt Weill compositions won the Echo award for classical
music. International charts were stormed with 20´s-style interpretations of modern pop-hits. Humorous
compositions by Max himself made the band known to a wide audience in Germany during the early
1990s.They remain fine, delicate, and unobtrusive. Max Raabe masters the art of keeping his composure
while at the same time allowing insight into his soul.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra: www.cso.org and www.csosoundsandstories.org
Founded in 1891, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of the greatest
orchestras in the world. Its music director since 2010 is Riccardo Muti, one of the preeminent conductors
of our day. Pierre Boulez is the CSO’s Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus; Yo-Yo Ma is the CSO’s
Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant. Mason Bates and Anna Clyne are the CSO’s Mead
Composers-in-Residence.
From baroque through contemporary music, the CSO commands a vast classical repertoire. With
programs such as MusicNOW® and Beyond the Score®, as well as an annual spring festival, the
Orchestra uses innovative approaches to develop new audiences.
The renowned musicians of the CSO annually perform more than 150 concerts, most from September
through June in Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center in downtown Chicago, and, each summer since
1936, at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago’s northern suburbs. In 2013, the CSO began to present concerts
in June in Chicago’s western suburbs.
The Orchestra tours nationally and internationally. Since 1892, the CSO has made fifty-eight international
tours, performing in twenty-nine countries on five continents. At home and abroad, CSO concert tickets
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recordings by the CSO earning a total of sixty-two Grammy awards. Muti’s first recording with the Chicago
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2010, it won two Grammy awards. The second recording, Verdi’s Otello, also with the Chorus, was
released in 2013. It won an International Opera Award. The third, Riccardo Muti Conducts Mason Bates
and Anna Clyne, and the fourth, Prokofiev’s Suite from Romeo and Juliet, were released in 2014. All are
on the CSO’s own label, CSO Resound (cso.org/Resound), and all are available online, including iTunes.
People around the globe listen to the sounds of the Orchestra through weekly broadcasts of the CSO
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Chicago Symphony Chorus, directed and conducted by Duain Wolfe, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago,
a training ensemble for young preprofessional musicians that is led by a variety of distinguished
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guest artists and ensembles from a variety of musical genres—classical, jazz, pop, world, and
contemporary—to Chicago.
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and education programs that engage more than 200,000 people of diverse ages, incomes, and
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schools and community venues that are initiated by CSO musicians and a free annual concert with
Riccardo Muti and the CSO, the CSO promotes the concept of Citizen Musicianship™: using the power of
music to create connections and build community.
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