Hollywood Songbook

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Out of Berlin, over the rainbow

Signum Saxophone Quartet and renegade opera star, Ali McGregor, reclaim the Hollywood Songbook in a journey from moody monochrome to vibrant technicolour. Trip the light fantastic from Berlin to Hollywood, via a Shakespearean tragedy, a Broadway musical and a Wild West rodeo in this sonic documentary of turbulent times.

The musicians who make up Signum Saxophone Quartet won hearts all over Australia on their debut tour. Now they return, joined this time by Ali McGregor, renegade opera star and cabaret queen. Together they trip the light fantastic from Berlin to Hollywood, via a shadowy nightclub, a Shakespearean tragedy, a Broadway musical and a Wild West rodeo, before arriving somewhere over the rainbow.  

The first half of the 20th century was a time of radical change on so many dimensions: socially, technologically and of course, politically. History books tell one version of the story, but what about listening to the artists, composers, writers and performers who lived through these turbulent times?  

As Musica Viva Australia reflects on 80 years of bringing musicians across the world to share their stories, we embark on a journey from moody monochrome to vibrant technicolour, and from introspective darkness to blazing hope. Along the way we meet wayfarers from Vienna, Kyiv and even Siberia, all bringing a rich cultural heritage, and all seeking their place in a fractured world.

"Rhythmically electrifying, with the dynamics spanning from an always rounded fortissimo to the most delicate pianissimo - this music simply cannot be played more beautifully."
— Süddeutsche Zeitung

ALI MCGREGOR voice
SIGNUM SAXOPHONE QUARTET
BLAŽ KEMPERLE soprano saxophone
JACOPO TADDEI alto saxophone
ALAN LUŽAR tenor saxophone
ARAM POGHOSYAN baritone saxophone

SCHULHOFF Selections from Five Pieces for String Quartet 
TRADITIONAL ‘I’m a Poor Wayfaring Stranger’
WEILL ‘One Life to Live’ from Lady in the Dark
WEILL ‘I’m a Stranger Here Myself’ from One Touch of Venus
PROKOFIEV Selections from Romeo and Juliet 
BERNSTEIN Three Dance Episodes from On the Town 
BERLIN ‘Let’s Face the Music, and Dance’ from Follow the Fleet
EISLER Selections from The Hollywood Songbook 
COPLAND Selections from Rodeo 
PORTER ‘So in Love’ from Kiss Me, Kate
ARLEN ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ from The Wizard of Oz

With special thanks to Ian Dickson AM and Reg Holloway for their support of Izidor Leitinger's musical arrangements.

Event and Ticketing Details

Dates & Times

Canberra   3 May 7pm
Melbourne   6 May 7pm
Brisbane   8 May 7pm
Adelaide   10 May 7:30pm
Sydney   12 May 7pm
Newcastle   14 May 7:30pm
Sydney   15 May 7pm
Perth   17 May 7:30pm

Location

Multiple Venues

Please check the venue in your city when booking tickets.

Event notes

Venues

Read more about the venues here.

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