Musica Viva: Australia Hollywood Songbook - Review

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Thu 08 May 2025

The concert emphasised the lasting impact of European musicians escaping tyranny in the 1920s and 1930s on American culture from the 1940s. Music by Stravinsky, Hollaender, Schulhoff, Weill, Prokofiev, Bernstein, Berlin, Eisler, Copland, Porter and Arlen demonstrated the excitement of the music of this era.



The exhilarating music was presented by Ali McGregor and the Signum Saxophone Quartet, Blaz Kemperle, Jacopo Taddei, Alan Luzar and David Brand.



Their website both informs and promises: “The Hollywood Songbook is one of the highlights of Musica Viva Australia’s 2025 season, and we’re thrilled to be part of it! Together with the incredible Ali McGregor, we’ll take audiences on a journey from the cabarets of Berlin to the golden age of Hollywood.” That’s a big task, but they succeeded!



Ali McGregor has an impressive list of achievements as an opera singer and cabaret performer. On the night, her rich voice filled the QPAC Concert Hall. Her performance perfectly augmented the vitality of the music; the last piece, 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' from The Wizard of Oz, was simply magical.



The skill and enthusiasm of the saxophone quartet were real highlights. The technical skills were obvious, especially when they were combined with an infectious enthusiasm. Years of playing as a quartet is an important advantage, but the group enjoyed presenting this music. The audience appreciated that the players were clearly having fun.



This concert was recorded by 4MBS Classic FM. The broadcast will be worth waiting for!


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