Brass in the melting pot

From Berlin to Broadway

Kurt Weill (1900–1950) lived through a period of profound political and cultural change. As a young composer in Berlin, he helped reshape musical theatre through his collaboration with playwright Bertolt Brecht. When the Nazis came to power, Weill was forced to flee Germany. After several years in Europe, he settled in the United States, where he built a new career on Broadway.

Through six of his songs, we follow the journey of a composer who continually sought new forms of expression and new audiences, both in Europe and in the United States.

The programme features My Ship, September Song, Youkali, Speak Low, Mack the Knife and Lost in the Stars.

To conclude the concert, we will hear Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, also arranged for brass quintet. Like Weill, Gershwin was a composer who brought together different musical traditions, and the work reflects the cultural melting pot that shaped New York in the first half of the twentieth century.

Weill’s Musical Melting Pot

Weill was deeply rooted in the European classical tradition, but he also drew inspiration from cabaret, jazz, popular music and musical theatre. He wrote music that reached a broad audience without sacrificing sharpness, precision or individuality.

His songs encompass striking contrasts: longing, hope, satire, darkness and warmth. They move between the intimate and the theatrical, between elegance and edge.

Brass Meets Weill

For this concert, Swedish trumpeter and arranger Joakim Agnas has created new versions of the songs for brass quintet and voice. Host and vocal soloist is Geir Anfinsen, who normally performs as a trombonist in the Opera Orchestra.

The sound of brass gives these songs a new setting. It can be warm, dark, sharp and direct, making it a natural match for Weill’s musical world.

Programme

My ship, Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin
September song, Kurt Weill/Maxwell Anderson
Youkali, Kurt Weill/Roger Fernay
Speak low, Kurt Weill/Ogden Nash
Mack the knife, Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht
Lost in the stars, Kurt Weill/Maxwell Anderson

Rhapsody in blue, Ira Gerswhin

Performers

Trumpets: Roeland Henkens and Andreas Karlsen
Horn: Maxim Semenov
Tuba: Magnus Vangsnes Bjørgo
Trombone: Karoline Trondsen