Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friends Present New Worlds Recording (June 2017)
Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friends Present New Worlds Recording To Be Released September 2017 on Decca Gold
Through a chance meeting on a flight from Berlin to New York, actor Bill Murray and cellist Jan Vogler became fast friends, curious about each others’ artistic worlds and interests. The result of their collaboration is New Worlds, an unexpected and enchanting exploration of the intersection of music and literature. Both the recording and live events feature songs paired with literary readings brought to life with classical music.
The ensemble performing New Worlds consists of Bill Murray (vocals and narration), Jan Vogler (cello), Mira Wang (violin) and Vanessa Perez (piano) – four musicians whose origins span four different continents. Bill Murray comments, “I am bathing in this experience, really. I can’t get enough of it.”
New Worlds had its world premiere on June 4 at the Dresden Music Festival, Germany, with its U.S. premiere to follow on July 20 at the Festival Napa Valley, California. The US fall tour will culminate with a performance at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall on October 16, 2017 (Tickets: www.carnegiehall.org) A world tour is confirmed for the fall and into 2018 (itinerary below).
The recording will be released this September on Decca Gold (the new U.S. classical imprint of Universal Music Group), marking Mr. Murray’s first official complete recorded album on a classical music label.
In a recent New York Times story following the final recording session, the project was put into focus: “Mr. Murray described the idea as ‘the collision of America and Europe,’ in part reflected in the backgrounds of each of the four members of his new group. ‘We are from four different continents,’ he said. ‘And when the continents come together, the music moves right across the peninsulas from one to the other. It’s just a short journey from one continent to the other.”
New Worlds showcases American values in literature and music, and the bridges artists have built between America and Europe. Twain, Hemingway, Whitman, Cooper, Bernstein, Bach, Piazzolla, Mancini, Gershwin and Foster are some of the writers and composers represented on New Worlds–masters whose distinct voices have influenced generations in America and beyond. Jan Vogler says, “I grew up with Mark Twain, and we had the complete Hemingway at home, of course in German translation.”
This endeavor between great music and great literature brings together an unexpected collective of creative forces, each at the top of their fields. Jan Vogler’s distinguished career has pushed the boundaries of classical music. He is known for his strong curatorial approach to his music making, combining history, classical tradition and a contemporary style of performance. Bill Murray, in his own right, has forged the most independent career in Hollywood, weaving comedy and depth into some of the most memorable roles in cinema.