The Fortunes of Exile
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SEASON 2019 Matthew Carey Michael Morley George Butrumlis Conductor Piano Accordion Matthew began working Michael Morley is Emeritus George Butrumlis has been with Robyn Archer in 2004 Professor of Drama at playing the accordion since on the show Whispering Flinders University. He has he was 6 years old. He had for the Adelaide Cabaret written extensively on formal lessons up to the age Festival and joined with European and German of 16 and since then has Michael Morley and George theatre, concentrating been engaged with a very Butrumlis to perform songs on the life and work of broad spectrum of music. from The Other Great Bertolt Brecht, as well as He has taken the piano American Songbook before his collaborations with the accordion to blues, rock embarking on The Fortunes composers Kurt Weill and and roll and zydeco through of Exile. Matthew trained at Hanns Eisler. He has served his legendary band Zydeco the Elder Conservatorium as President and Vice Jump, to iconic Australian and has focused his career President of the International songwriting through the predominantly in the fields Brecht Society, and has Black Sorrows and Mike Rudd of cabaret and musical written theatre, music and of Spectrum fame, to the theatre. He served as opera reviews for a variety of Melbourne Symphony and Associate Musical Director Australian and international Pavarotti, to the cinema of the London Revival publications. He has also screen through Lillian’s Story, of Sunday in the Park with published translations of Wog Boys, Red Dog, On Our George in 2006, Leonard Brecht’s poetry and of poems Selection, to the theatre Bernstein’s Mass for the by pianist Alfred Brendel, stage with Jeannie Lewis, Adelaide Festival in 2012 with whom he collaborated the musical Fiddler On The and is currently Assistant on the English version of A Roof, and more recently with Musical Director for Pianist’s A to Z. He has been Robyn Archer and Michael The Book of Mormon pianist and musical director Morley for Robyn’s wonderful Australian tour. on productions in Australia presentations of German and overseas, and from and French cabaret songs. 2004 presented the show He served a 3 year term Sing Your Own Musicals in on the music board of the The Fortunes Melbourne, at the Adelaide Australia Council for the Arts. Cabaret Festival, and the George is the musical director Port Fairy Music Festival. of MAO, the Melbourne of Exile In 2012 he was awarded Accordion Orchestra. the South Australian Premier’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. August Fri 30, 8pm MAJOR PARTNERS GOVERNMENT PARTNERS ASO Grainger Studio Program PROGRAM NOTE Robyn Archer Curator/Vocals Duration Matthew Carey Conductor This concert will run for approximately Michael Morley Piano 2 hours, including a 20 minute interval. The Fortunes George Butrumlis Accordion of Exile by Robyn Archer Robyn Archer Hollaender trs. Morley arr. Carey Brecht trs. Middleton Curator/Vocals Grandmas Trombone Thoughts on the Duration of Exile Eisler/Tucholsky trs. Morley Coslow/Hollaender arr. Carey Deep Sigh of a Lady in a Troubled Night It’s Raining Sunbeams Berlin flourished in the atmosphere of the Robyn Archer AO is a singer, writer, Weimar Republic. The cultural output was artistic director, and public advocate Grosz/Ringelnatz trs. Willett Grosz/Kennedy extraordinary as painters, poets, theatre- for the arts. She is acknowledged The Ballad of the Seaman Kuttel Daddeldu Red Sails in the Sunset makers, film-makers, writers, designers internationally for her interpretation of On the Isle of Capri Grosz Harbor Lights (arr. Carey) and architects recorded both the the Brecht/Eisler/Weill repertoire which The Baby in the Bar aftermath of war and a fresh moment she recorded in 1983 as Robyn Archer II. Tango Spoliansky arr. Carey of peace and hope. All the composers Sings Brecht Vols 1 and 2 at Abbey Road III. Shimmy Love is Lyrical and lyricists we feature tonight were with the London Sinfonietta. Her first The Melba Waltz part of that creative explosion. But venture into the music and culture of the Weill/Brecht trs. Willett arr. Carey soon it was feared that an explosion Weimar Republic was The Seven Deadly The Cannon Song Weill/Hughes of a different sort was building up, Sins for New Opera South Australia, Lonely House that they were ‘dancing on the volcano’. which opened the Adelaide Festival Weill/Brecht trs. Willett arr. Carey Centre’s Space in 1974. Winner of the Moritat Eisler/Brecht Hangmen Also Die: No Surrender Just eleven years after the end of the 2013 Helpmann Award for Best Cabaret Hollaender arr. Carey Great War, the New York Stock Exchange Performer, and nominated Cabaret Falling in Love Again Eisler crash of 1929 ignited the global explosion Icon in the 2016 Adelaide Cabaret Hangmen Also Die: Suite which threw the German people into Festival, Robyn has sung classic cabaret Hollaender trs. Morley arr. Carey economic depression, poverty and worldwide and currently performs recitals Kitsch Tango Eisler/Brecht trs. Willett starvation. One powerful orator told of French, German and American songs. The Hollywood Elegies the people he knew how to make She performed a new show, Picaresque, Walter Mehring trs. Willett Germany great again. for the 2019 Adelaide Festival. Her most Stock Exchange Song Grosz/Dubin/Coolidge recent recording (March 2019) is arr. Carey So convincing were his speeches that in Classic Cabaret Rarities featuring her Spoliansky/Schiffer trs. Morley Along the Santa Fe Trail I know it can’t be so 1933 that orator was elected Chancellor recital accompanists Michael Morley and by then all dissident voices were and George Butrumlis. Robyn’s career Bizet/Hollaender trs. Willett being silenced, with exile the only has been wide and wild, from the The Jews are to Blame alternative to eventual arrest and success of one-woman shows such as murder. Those who managed to leave A Star is Torn, premiered forty years Eisler/Brecht trs. Willett had no option but to use their talents ago, to artistic direction of the major The Ballad on Approving of the World in whatever way they could in order to arts festivals in Adelaide, Melbourne, survive. In this concert we hear what Tasmania and Canberra. Robyn has been Eisler/Brecht trs. Willett they wrote at the peak of their early honoured by France, Belgium and the The Ballad of the Jews’ Whore Marie Sanders careers before they left Berlin, and in US and holds honorary doctorates from INTERVAL the second half what their new host five Australian Universities. countries demanded of them..