Signum Saxophone Quartet and Ali McGregor - Newcastle

Trip the light fantastic from Berlin to Hollywood, via a Shakespearean tragedy, a Broadway musical and a Wild West rodeo in this sonic documentary of turbulent times.

The musicians who make up Signum Saxophone Quartet won hearts all over Australia on their debut tour. Now they return, joined this time by Ali McGregor, renegade opera star and cabaret queen. Together they trip the light fantastic from Berlin to Hollywood, via a shadowy nightclub, a Shakespearean tragedy, a Broadway musical and a Wild West rodeo, before arriving somewhere over the rainbow.

The first half of the 20th century was a time of radical change on so many dimensions: socially, technologically and of course, politically. History books tell one version of the story, but what about listening to the artists, composers, writers and performers who lived through these turbulent times?

As Musica Viva Australia reflects on 80 years of bringing musicians across the world to share their stories, we embark on a journey from moody monochrome to vibrant technicolour, and from introspective darkness to blazing hope. Along the way we meet wayfarers from Vienna, Kyiv and even Siberia, all bringing a rich cultural heritage, and all seeking their place in a fractured world.