Max Raabe & Palast Orchester - Eine Nacht in Berlin - DVD

Film: Max Raabe is a real exceptional phenomenon in the German-speaking music scene. Since the founding of the Palast Orchester in 1986, the studied baritone has regularly thrilled a wide audience with chansons in the style of the 20s and 30s. It doesn't matter whether it's real classics like Mein kleiner grüner Kaktus (My Little Green Cactus) or In meiner Badewanne bin ich Kapitän (In My Bathtub I'm a Captain), his own songs like Kein Schwein ruft mich an (No One Calls Me) or Küssen kann man nicht allein (You Can't Kiss Alone), or super hits by other artists like Britney Spears, Queen and Tom Jones in the 20s sound. But also as a soloist Raabe convinces with his distinctive voice, for example in stage productions like Im weißen Rössl. Now Max Raabe has compiled the best songs from his rich repertoire for a very special concert experience. The result is a live performance in which Max Raabe invites his audience to experience a night in Berlin with him that will not soon be forgotten.

28 songs are performed by Max Raabe in just under 90 minutes, interrupted again and again by short speeches to the audience, in which Raabe's dry sense of humour comes into its own wonderfully. Whether he is talking about smokers in the wild or about the Berlin airport, with his pointed remarks the singer always makes the audience laugh. The good mood that is built up by this is even increased by songs like Für Frauen ist das kein Problem or I won`t dance. The good mixture of more current songs, which Raabe composed together with Annette Humpe, film and musical classics as well as immortal evergreens additionally supports the high entertainment value of the program.

For the visual realization, the makers of the DVD have come up with something very special. Instead of simply filming the action on stage, they give many of the songs a flair all of their own by suddenly turning the colour image black and white, changing the aspect ratio, fading in the lyrics karaoke-style, visiting the musicians backstage or splitting the image comic book-style. The whole thing is particularly beautifully implemented in the song Kleine Lügen, where the image is repeatedly frozen in the form of old record covers.

Due to the really first-class camera work and a very cinematic look, the ambience of Berlin's Admiralpalast exudes the flair of classic revue theatres. This also creates an atmosphere in front of the screen that makes this live recording a truly special experience. So this DVD is an absolute must for all fans of this extraordinary singer. And if you are not yet a fan of the music of Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester, you are guaranteed to be proven wrong after these extremely entertaining 90 minutes. Absolutely worth seeing and of course also worth hearing!

Picture + Sound: The image of the DVD is absolutely clean and has a very high image sharpness. When the picture is in color, the Admiralspalast shines with warm, powerful colors. When the songs are presented in black and white, a good balance of black levels and contrasts is positively noticeable. The audio is available as a PCM stereo mix, as well as a more powerful DTS 5.1 mix. Especially the latter transports the concert feeling very well into the living room at home.

Extras: As a bonus there is a very short, but worth seeing Making of (approx. 4 min.), as well as the two bonus numbers Rhythm Man - a kind of alternative intro - and Singin in the Bathtub.

Conclusion: A Night in Berlin is a really special live DVD not only in musical terms. Max Raabe's promise to present the viewer not only music for the ears, but also to look at, this program fully delivers. With a colourful song selection, some dry humour and many visual gimmicks, this programme is an absolute must for all fans of the extraordinary singer. And if you are not yet a fan of the music of Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester, you are guaranteed to be proven wrong after these extremely entertaining 90 minutes. Therefore, for this technically well implemented DVD a very clear: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp