In the 1920s, the modern entertainment industry, as we know it today, was essentially established: films and music from vinyl records and radio became a standard feature of Western culture; jazz was the first form of global pop music that thrilled the masses beyond the concert hall. In Berlin, too, countless newly formed dance halls, variety shows and cabarets danced a fashion dance called Charleston freshly imported from America - for many an expression of new (after the war) won zest for life and for some others a symbol of foreign wickedness and depravity.
This age has been labeled with various terms: Golden Twenties, Jazz Age, Charleston Era, Crazy or Wild Twenties, etc. Whichever term you use, you will agree on this epoch of their seething vitality and creativity that for the entire later entertainment culture remained groundbreaking.
Stefan Schwalgin emphasizes this aspect in his medley THE CRAZY CHARLESTON ERA of three classical jazz titles from this era: witty instrumental effects and crazy caprices of the orchestra sometimes seem to be overturned in this musical hullabaloo, which is technically much easier to master than the first impression suggests.
The “Golden Tewnties” are currently just around the corner. Let them be just as wild, crazy and alive in your concert as they were a hundred years ago!
Content:
1. Ain't She Sweet
2. Sweet Georgia Brown
3. The Charleston