Vladimir Kornéev brings his Kurt Weill concert “Youkali” to Orinda for the final concert in the Live at Orinda! season. Scheduled for May 15, the concert includes many of Weill’s songs, as well as stories of his legendary love story with actress/singer Lotte Lenya.
Live at the Orinda! closes its concert season with a journey into the remarkable world of Kurt Weill and his love story with the legendary Lotte Lenya. The journey, courtesy of the consummate acting and singing talents of Vladimir Kornéev, takes place May 19 at 5 p.m.
Kornéev will share anecdotes from Weill’s life in Berlin, Paris and New York, while interpreting the composer’s diverse repertoire, including songs from “The Threepenny Opera.” A special addition includes French chansons by Weill, in particular the iconic “Youkali” (idyllic island), composed during Weill’s exile from Germany during the Nazi Regime.
“I decided to call my Kurt Weill concert ‘Youkali’ for very personal reasons,” said Kornéev. “When I was five years old, my parents and I were forced to leave my home country, Georgia, because of war. When we arrived at the refugee camp in Berlin, the only things my mother brought were some clothes, photos, two candlestick holders my father gave her on her wedding day and a small oil painting showing a little sailboat floating off the coast of Georgia. We leaned the painting against our mattress and later took it with us to the various refugee centers in Augsburg, a little town next to Munich.”
Kornéev remembers the painting vividly as the family moved from place to place looking for safety.
“Until this day, I remember how I would sit in the kitchen while my mother cooked Georgian Kchinkali, these huge, tasty, Georgian dumplings, and I would look at the painting and daydream of myself on that little sailboat floating along the beautiful coast of Georgia. A peaceful coast where I could forget the violence and fear for my life I experienced as a child,” recalled Kornéev.
The painting, which today sits in his home in Berlin, became the young Kornéev’s “personal island” until music and acting turned into his “youkali.”
Trained at the prestigious Bavarian State University of Theatre and Music in Munich, the versatile performer brings the richness of the European chanson to Orinda. The French art song, originally from the Middle Ages, is a highly sophisticated art form often dealing with courtly love.
“I find great satisfaction performing repertoire that allows ample room and freedom to experiment on stage, and I especially derive pleasure from the artistic liberty I feel when I delve into chanson repertoire,” said Kornéev. “I focus on narrating the stories within the songs just as an actor delivers a monologue, employing various rhythms and volume levels to authentically embody the role or situation being portrayed. This demand for vocal flexibility in sound and color and devotion to the text and scene is what truly excites me about singing, and it is a huge pleasure to share this experience with my audience.”
Kornéev travels around the world sharing such experiences in sought-after concerts and producing numerous albums as he effortlessly performs vocal gymnastics. At his first concert in 2022 in North America, he was lauded by the Canadian press as “one of the greatest voices of Europe.”
In addition to his singing career, Kornéev has made his mark as a television and movie actor. In 2022, he portrayed the Russian Tzar Alexander Romanov II in the Netflix series “The Empress,” which won the 2023 International Emmy Award for Best International Series.
He’s also worked with Oscar winner and “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle as the lead in Chazelle’s short film “Life is the Greatest Odyssey.”
“I am deeply passionate about both filming and singing, and I have never been willing to choose between the two,” said Kornéev.
At his Orinda concert, Kornéev will blend his many talents together for a special evening of music. In addition to performing works by Kurt Weill, Kornéev will include classics such as “Speak Low,” “Lonely House,” and a Bossa Nova rendition of “September Song.”
He will also include a little-known song by Weill, arranged during Weill’s visit to Palestine at the conclusion of World War II, entitled “Ba’a M’nucha” (Peace Will Come), a song full of relevance for our current time. Kornéev, who has also done specials on Edith Piaf, may include some of Piaf’s work at the conclusion of the concert.
Accompanying him for the evening will be Montreal pianist Stephane Aubin.
“His exceptional talent allows him to effortlessly recreate the diverse range of sounds one would typically associate with a full orchestra,” Kornéev said.
Live at the Orinda! is a concert series featuring world-class performers from around the globe in specially curated musical evenings at the iconic Orinda Theatre.
Vladimir Kornéev performs May 19 at 5 p.m. at the Orinda Theatre, 4 Orinda Theatre Square, Orinda. For tickets and additional information, call 925.254.9060 or go to orindamovies.com.
