ABOUT THE CD

CLARINET VIRTUOSO  

DAVID KRAKAUER

ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF HIS MOST

ADVENTUROUS CD TO DATE

"THE BIG PICTURE"

AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE FEBRUARY 18, 2014  

[TO DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM PLEASE VISIT THE 

NON-PUBLIC LINK AT THE BOTTOM]  

THE BIG PICTURE album features Krakauer's sextet, a new constellation of musicians, meticulously chosen to display their virtuosity and poetrywith these stimulating new arrangements and interpretations of familiar movie soundtracks by classic film music composers  - among them, Marvin Hamlisch, Wojciech Kilar, Vangelis, Sergei Prokofiev, Ralph Burns, Jerry Bock, John Kander & Fred Ebb. Movies include such diverse gems as Sophie's Choice, The Pianist, Cabaret, Radio Days and Funny Girl.

 "For the music part," says Krakauer, "I've taken themes from iconic films with Jewish content and re-imagined them with a band of world-class musicians. The album has become more special than I'd ever imagined. It brought me to a new emotional level, reminding me of the incredible resiliency of my great-grandparents, arriving from Eastern Europe with virtually nothing, and how they were able to overcome incredible poverty and anti-Semitism 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 ways to survive in the face of adversity. That's not just the Jewish experience. It's everyone's struggle." 

Born and raised in New York City, his early exposure to diverse cultural influences provides a powerful towline for his music. Krakauer earned his reputation as a Klezmer specialist, then showcased his formidable talents in other musical arenas, such as classical music, electronica and jazz. He has shared stages as a group member and soloist with a wide array of artists, string quartets and classical aggregates - among them, the Klezmatics, John Zorn, Fred Wesley, Itzhak Perlman, Osvaldo Golijov, Eiko and Koma, Leonard Slatkin, Iva Bitova, Kronos, Tokyo, the Emerson, the Orchestre de Lyon, the Orquestra Sinfonica de Madrid, the Phoenix Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Dresdener Philharmonie and the Detroit Symphony. 

TRACKS

WILLKOMMEN, Cabaret  

LA BELLA E VITA, Life is Beautiful

SI TU VOIS MA MERE, Midnight in Paris

BODY AND SOUL, Radio Days

THE MARCH, Love and Death

MOVING TO THE GHETTO, The Pianist

THE FAMILY, Avalon

HONEYCOMB, Lenny

LOVE THEME, Sophie's Choice

KEEP IT GAY, The Producers

PEOPLE, Funny Girl

TRADITION, Fiddler On The Roof