"Youkali, for Kurt Weill, was the land of desires, promised but never to be attained a strong image for an exiled and itinerant composer. The 1935 song in which he captured the idea, a lilting tango, forms the lodestar of Katie Bray's voyage through Weill's chameleonic songwriting career, undertaken alongside the pianist William Vann, accordionist Murray Grainger and double bassist Marianne Schofield, the latter moonlighting from the Hermes Experiment."
"The journey takes in numbers in German, French and English some familiar, some not including a couple of songs written for the Huckleberry Finn musical Weill was working on at the time of his death. The artwork for In Search of Youkali: Songs of Kurt Weill. Photograph: Chandos Bray and Vann have been developing this programme together for years, and it shows in their easy fluency; the other two instruments are used tellingly, painting in subtle rather than primary colours."
Youkali symbolizes a promised, unattainable land of desires for Kurt Weill, reflecting his exile and itinerant life. The 1935 lilting tango Youkali anchors a programme that maps Weill's varied songwriting across German, French and English. Katie Bray performs with pianist William Vann, accordionist Murray Grainger and double bassist Marianne Schofield, punctuating the programme with haunting, unaccompanied musings on the melody before presenting the song in full. The selection includes familiar pieces and rarities, including songs from the unfinished Huckleberry Finn musical. The ensemble's subtle instrumental colours and Bray's communicative, trained voice create fluent, emotionally controlled performances.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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