Search - Max Raabe & Palast Orchester :: Eine Nacht in Berlin

A summer s evening in Berlin. The usual traffic jams and ranks of double-parked tourist buses can t be far away, but Max Raabe seems to be in his own little bubble. He s winding his way along by bicycle, casually adjusting his bowtie as he rides, leaving the Brandenburg Gate behind him.
Meanwhile, at the Admiralspalast, where they re about to record their latest programme, the Palast Orchester are already on stage and playing the first bars of Kleine Lügen, as their leader coolly cycles along towards the theatre.
This must be the laid-back mentality for which Berlin is admired around the world! As the band transitions into Für Frauen ist das kein Problem, Raabe jumps off his bike and walks on stage. Filmed up to this point in black and white, he now appears in full colour, like his fellow musicians.
Max Raabe as musical intermediary, bridging worlds, and transporting 1920s glamour to the present day that s the elegantly presented metaphor in this unusual concert film s opening sequence.
And the off-beat humour continues: just as you think you know what s coming, Raabe opens with Ich bin nur gut, wenn keiner guckt I m only good if nobody s watching which is, of course, charming nonsense.
It s this attractively understated quality that s the key to Max Raabe s unique stage persona and his ability to win over an audience instantly, whether he s performing in Berlin, Tokyo, New York, Sydney or Oberhausen.
For Eine Nacht in Berlin, the singer and bandleader teamed up once again with renowned German filmmaker Daniel Lwowski, who directed the video for Küssen kann man nicht alleine, among other Raabe songs. And just as Raabe s musical arrangements are always that little bit out of the ordinary, this DVD too is rather more than a pedestrian concert video. The follow-up to the hit albums Küssen kann man nicht alleine and Für Frauen ist das kein Problem, this live production provides a musical snapshot of Raabe s latest programme.
His attention to detail is apparent in the beautifully designed visuals that give each number its own individual staging. A restrained palette, with plenty of black and a cool aesthetic, alternates with desaturated colours that bathe the set in subtle shades of red, blue or green. Atmospheric scenes, filmed separately, are intercut with the live performances so, for example, during Smoke Gets in Your Eyes the band is suddenly shown playing in a ballroom as elegant couples dance by, or individual band members appear in black-and-white backstage sequences or, as during Speak Low, are projected as if floating over the heads of the musicians on stage.
Eine Nacht in Berlin is full of musical as well as cinematic surprises.
Not only do the musicians display their mastery of an even greater range of instruments than usual, they also show off their vocal talents in Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt (known to English-speaking audiences as Falling in Love Again), their tribute to pre-war German close harmony ensemble the Comedian Harmonists.
One of the most striking numbers in the programme is Du passt auf mich auf, whose catchy rhythm immediately draws the audience in.
And throughout the concert, the new compositions blend seamlessly with the repertoire of the 1920s and 30s to create the harmonious whole that is Eine Nacht in Berlin.