Karl Ratzer Trio & Sexteto Brazil

Franz Welser-Möst, the brilliant Austrian conductor, tried it at the New Year's Philharmonic concert spectacle, but this time, chapeau, mostly with pieces that had not yet been heard in this setting, with dignified relaxedness. Not unsympathetic but still too awkward. That's when Karl Ratzer sat back and relaxed in the evening and let the most poignant, profound tonal bouquets, which were finely wrested from the internal structures of the pieces, drip from the strings with heart and soul. This was given such weight because his partners, with their incredible ability to slow down and quintessentially, know how to add soul to Ratzer's “Musicmagic”. The Sir also included a significant number of pieces that were rarely or never heard in this constellation, this time in a significantly lyrical program. From colleagues who were/are great ballad composers/interpreters. For example, Claude Bolling, Bobby Hutcherson, Hank Mobley, Enrico Pieranunzi. In particular, the Rogers/Hart composition “With A Song In My Heart,” which, according to Ratzer, was brought to him so vividly by Fritz Pauer, was given a unique, fervent illumination. What applies to this piece also applies to the others: how the harmonic/melodic blueprint and the vocal guidance specifications are initially reinterpreted in their own “basic and outlines”, functionally determined as well as improvisational, emphatically with further tonal effects. Rhythmically, intermediate areas are constantly being sought, remeasured and the tension and intensity of the multi-beat reconfigured. In ballad mode. Narratives proclaimed with a big heart - unsentimental, clearly defined, truly sealed.

Driven by dislike of routine. Obsessed with the greed to continue experiencing life in an exhilarating way. On top of that, every solo by these star stylists was a model of control of the moment. And it expires spontaneously. Once again, one must express the fascination with the extraordinary level of interaction that has now been achieved in the group. The line-up also presents itself as the ultimate for the string dancer's musical phantasms. This evening's jazz moods could also be described as chamber music, but this music cannot be limited by any chamber, it flows into open spaces. As a digestif, the quartet served a mischievous, staid operetta blissful version of Franz Lehar's composition “Yours is my whole heart”. What a wonderful analogy, because the hearts of Karl “Wiener-Ratzer” and his “glossy troupe” really go out the window. (Hannes Schweiger, about the concert on January 1st, 2023)

In the first part you will experience the master with his long-standing trio and in the second part with his Brazilian friends. Happy New Ears!

Program and cast

Karl Ratzer: guitar, vocals
Peter Herbert: bass
Howard Curtis: drums
Yta Moreno: guitar, vocals
Andreas Werth: organ
Fred Mascavo: percussion