“The most pleasing thing about this musical evening in Graz is the orchestra, conducted by Marcus Merkel. Whether in a Broadway sound or with Berlin echoes of Threepenny Opera, this American Kurt Weill with all his style-informing idiosyncrasies and brilliantly self-orchestrated score is performed with verve and great skill by the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra.”
Online Merker – Manfred A. Schmid
“Dramaturgically speaking, Weill’s music is so skillfully constructed that the very different sources of the songs—operetta, musical, light music and jazz—naturally flow into and out from one another under the secure direction of Marcus Merkel. No wonder Broadway audiences loved One Touch of Venus!”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung – Reinhard Kager
“Under the direction of Marcus Merkel, the Graz Philharmonic made Weill’s music sparkle. This extremely exciting score seems like a mix of old and new circumstances of the composer’s life—elegant Broadway sound à la Cole Porter and reminiscences of the revue operettas of the 1920s meet echoes of early Weill.”
photo: Werner Kmetitsch
“Director Magdalena Fuchsberger has succeeded in supplying One Touch of Venus from 1943 with a modern, stage-ready raison d’être.”
European Cultural News – Michaela Preiner
“In a role originally written with Marlene Dietrich in mind, Dionne Wudu shines as Venus.”
“As Rodney, Christof Messner sings hits like ‘Speak Low,’ which became a jazz standard, or ‘How Much I Love You’ with a smooth, bright voice, contrasting with the deep voice of his charismatic partner, Dionne Wudu.”
