All That Jazz! New Year's Eve Musical Gala - NOSPR

And all that jazz

Start the car

I know a whoopee spot

Where the gin is cold

But the piano's hot

It's just a noisy hall

Where there's a nightly brawl

And all that jazz! - sings Velma in John Kander’s song All that jazz.

This New Year's Eve, we will embark on an extraordinary journey across the most beautiful themes from American musical hits. Immerse yourselves in the soundtracks of Broadway classics like "New York, New York," "The Wizard of Oz," or "West Side Story" – the magnificent music of George Gershwin, John Kander, and Leonard Bernstein. In the world of musicals, fairy dreams of love, fame, and big money come true, dressed in shiny shoes and glitter. Far away fireworks light, champagne bubbles in glasses, and confetti sparkles in a thousand colors. At NOSPR, we will illuminate this night – defying the time passing by!

We will follow Velma to Chicago, visit New York with Martin Scorsese, and Harold Arlen will invite us to the fantastic land of Oz. The producers of the famous wizard film wanted to create a ballad that could compete with the popular song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a great Walt Disney movie hit from 1937. They succeeded – "The Wizard of Oz" received an Oscar for Arlen's song "Over the Rainbow." On this New Year's Eve, made famous by Judy Garland, this jazz classic piece will be performed by the excellent Australian soprano, Eleanor Lyons.

Do you remember the dancing duet musicals with Fred Astaire in the leading role? The music he danced to was often composed by George Gershwin himself, who created the soundtrack for films like "Shall We Dance?" and "Funny Face," a Broadway musical from 1927 where Fred Astaire danced for the first time in... a top hat. Shakespeare's most famous love story, Romeo and Juliet, was used by the creators of West Side Story, to which Leonard Bernstein composed music that brilliantly combined jazz, Latin rhythms, symphonic and musical-comedy conventions. Perhaps until today, there has been no more American musical than "West Side Story"!

Under the baton of the charismatic and beloved by the audience Bassem Akiki, the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra will perform, taking you on a journey through the stages of Broadway with the sounds of the greatest musical hits.

This last night of the year, we want to spend with you in glamour style: on the red carpet and in the golden glow of shimmering lights. During the intermission of the concert, which begins at 6:00 PM, join us for a glass of champagne and a selfie at the NOSPR's wall of fame.

[Alexandra Kozowicz]

Concert duration (with the intermission): approximately 100 minutes