From January 29 through February 23 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, international concert artist David Krakauer will present his newest, most adventurous project yet: The Big Picture, a musical tribute to the movies.
The multi-media concert explores the intersection of music and Jewish identity in iconic movies of the last 50 years. Krakauer adds his contemporary style to beloved songs from films ranging from Funny Girl and Fiddler on the Roof to Sophie’s Choice and The Pianist. The music, which includes selections from 12 beloved films, is accompanied by original projected visuals created by Light of Day and Cutting Room Films. Visit www.mjhnyc.org/bigpicture to hear musical selections.
Krakauer will be joined by Rob Schwimmer on piano and various keyboards, Sara Caswell on violin, Mark Helias on double bass, Sheryl Bailey on guitar, and John Hadfield on drums and percussion.
Krakauer, who has been called a “brilliant clarinetist” by The New Yorker, says, “For the past 25 years I've been involved in a search for identity through exploring Eastern European Jewish klezmer music, the music of my ancestry. With The Big Picture, I'm continuing this search for identity through a whole new lens by looking at the question from the perspective of being Jewish in America.”
“To do this, I’ve taken themes from iconic films with Jewish content and re-imagined them with a band of world-class musicians. It’s become something even more special than I’d ever imagined. Listening to the pieces hit me on a whole new emotional level, making me think about the incredible resiliency of my great grandparents arriving from Eastern Europe with virtually nothing...and how they were able to deal with incredible poverty and anti-Semitism to eventually be able to succeed. I've never been prouder to be Jewish. But at the same time I think this project really speaks about how people across the ages have found a way to survive in the face of incredible adversity — and that’s not just the Jewish experience, it’s everyone's struggle.”
Performances will take place on: Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. on January 29, February 5, February 12, and February 19; and Sundays at 2 p.m. on February 2, February 9, February 16, and February 23
Tickets are $35, $30 for seniors and students and $25 for members. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more.
Tickets are available online at www.mjhnyc.org or by calling the Museum box office at 646.437.4202.
The Big Picture album, available online and in stores nationwide on February 18, 2014, will be available for purchase at all performances as a special pre-sale.
