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Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friends

New Worlds

Decca GOLD
Release Date: October 17, 2017

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#1 On The Classical Charts - CBS: Colbert
April 23 2018 @ Merrill Auditorium - teaser
BM, JV w/Friends: at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
When Will I Ever Learn To Live In God
Puss n Boots w BILL MURRAY- Blue Christmas
1 Camille Saint-Saens - The Swan / Lucille Clifton, blessing the boats  
2 Walt Whitman from 'Song of the Open Road' and 'Song of Myself'  
3 JS Bach Prelude from Suite For Cello Solo No.1 In G Major  
4 Franz Schubert - Andante un poco mosso from Trio No. 1 in B-flat major  
5 George Gershwin 'It Ain't Necessarily So' from Porgy and Bess  
6 Astor Piazzolla 'Muerte del Angel'  
7 Van Morrison 'When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God'  
8 Henry Mancini 'Moon River' / Mark Twain from 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'  
9 Stephen Foster 'Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair'  
10 Maurice Ravel - Blues from Sonata for Violin and Piano / James Thurber  
11 Leonard Bernstein - Somewhere  
12 Leonard Bernstein - I Feel Pretty  
13 Leonard Bernstein - America  
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Through a chance meeting on a flight from Berlin to New York, actor Bill Murray and cellist Jan Vogler became fast friends, curious about each others' artistic worlds and interests.  The result of their collaboration is New Worlds, an unexpected and enchanting exploration of the intersection of music and literature. Both the recording and live events feature songs paired with literary readings brought to life with classical music. New Worlds is released today on Decca Gold, with multiple tour dates including Chicago, Buffalo, Santa Barbara, and New York City. (Full Itinerary Below)

The ensemble performing on New Worlds consists of Bill Murray (vocals and narration), Jan Vogler (cello), Mira Wang (violin) and Vanessa Perez (piano) – four musicians whose origins span four different continents.  Bill Murray comments, "I am bathing in this experience, really. I can't get enough of it." 

New Worlds had its world premiere on June 4 at the Dresden Music Festival, Germany, followed by the U.S. premiere on July 20 at the Festival Napa Valley, California. Billboard commented, "If only every college English major could have Murray at the lectern, reciting these works with a perfect balance of humor and reverence."  The US fall tour will culminate with a performance at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall on October 16, 2017 (Tickets: www.carnegiehall.org). 

New Worlds showcases American values in literature and music, and the bridges artists have built between America and Europe. Twain, Hemingway, Whitman, Cooper, Bernstein, Bach, Piazzolla, Mancini, Gershwin and Foster are some of the writers and composers represented on New Worlds – masters whose distinct voices have influenced generations in America and beyond. Jan Vogler says, "I grew up with Mark Twain, and we had the complete Hemingway at home, of course in German translation."

This endeavor between great music and great literature brings together an unexpected collective of creative forces, each at the top of their fields. Jan Vogler's distinguished career has pushed the boundaries of classical music. He is known for his strong curatorial approach to his music making, combining history, classical tradition and a contemporary style of performance. Bill Murray, in his own right, has forged the most independent career in Hollywood, weaving comedy and depth into some of the most memorable roles in cinema. 

  • Bill Murray says....We did the show 65 times, and killed every time / The Sydney Morning Herald
    Posted At: March 12, 2022 12:00 AM
    The Sydney Morning Herald's Robert Moran writes….If 2018 feels a world away, a time when pandemics were mere plot points in multiplex blockbusters, Bill Murray remembers it like yesterday. That November, the Hollywood star toured Australia with German cellist Jan Vogler to perform their New Worlds show at the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne’s Plenary Theatre.The gigs – a bizarre part-live music, part-spoke...
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  • Bill Murray covers Tom Waits classic song; 'The Piano Has Been Drinking' / FAR OUT
    Posted At: January 17, 2022 12:00 AM
    In 2017, through a chance meeting on a flight from Berlin to New York, actor Bill Murray and cellist Jan Vogler became fast friends, curious about each others' artistic worlds and interests.  The result of their collaboration is New Worlds, an unexpected and enchanting exploration of the intersection of music and literature. Both the recording and live events feature songs paired with literary rea...
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  • A classical music critic in New York City could conceivably never spend an evening at home, until now / The New York Times
    Posted At: April 2, 2020 12:00 AM

    Carnegie Hall presents the world's leading artists virtually every night during its season; Lincoln Center's theaters are almost never dark. Then there are the dozens of smaller venues scattered throughout town. Planning a concert-going calendar, then, has always been a balancing act, full of disappointment that you can't be in multiple places at once. Then came the coronavirus pandemic, which caused...
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  • During COVID, Jan Vogler creates 'Music Never Sleeps NYC' / BroadwayWorld
    Posted At: March 20, 2020 12:00 AM

    'Music Never Sleeps NYC' is a 24-Hour Music Video Livestream Marathon Event beginning at 6:00PM EDT on Friday, March 27, 2020. The Coronavirus global crisis has changed all of our lives drastically and has shut down every performing arts institution and venue. While practicing at home on the Upper West Side, Event organizer, and cellist; Jan Vogler realized that artists can contribute during...
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  • Bill Murray to receive lifetime achievement award at Rome Film Festival / UPI
    Posted At: June 26, 2019 12:00 AM

    Bill Murray will receive a lifetime achievement award at the 2019 Rome Film Festival in October. Festival organizers announced Monday on Twitter that director Wes Anderson will present Murray with the award during the annual event, which takes place Oct. 17-27 in 2019. Deadline said Murray, 68, will take part in an "in conversation" event hosted by Anderson. Directors Hirokazu Kore-eda, Olivier Assa...
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  • Bill Murray joins Puss N Boots for 'Blue Christmas' / JamBase
    Posted At: December 8, 2018 12:00 AM

    Puss N' Boots was joined by Bill Murray on a rendition of "Blue Christmas" on Thursday night in New York City. The collaboration with the group featuring Norah Jones, Catherine Popper and Sasha Dobson took place at Sunny's Bar in Brooklyn, New York. Murray co-wrote and starred in the 2015 Netflix musical Christmas special A Very Murray Christmas and last year teamed with cellist Jan Vogler on the album N...
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  • Bill Murray's singular blend of deadpan delivery and self-aware silliness was fully present at Strathmore / Washington Post
    Posted At: September 30, 2018 12:00 AM

    Bill Murray could probably recite his tax return and make an audience giggle. The mercurial artist's singular blend of deadpan delivery and self-aware silliness was fully present in his latest left turn, a show titled "New Worlds," presented Friday to a full house at Strathmore. Conceived with German cellist Jan Vogler, the provocative mix of European classical music, American literature and a little sta...
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  • Bill Murray and friends bring 'New Worlds' to Center for the Performing Arts / Indianapolis Star
    Posted At: August 12, 2018 12:00 AM

    Actor and comedian Bill Murray will bring a mix of spoken-word and classical music to the Palladium in October, and tickets for the show go on sale next week. Murray and Jan Vogler, an acclaimed German cellist will bring "New Worlds" - an album on which Murray sings and reads American literature - to the stage Oct. 5. The duo will be accompanied by pianist Vanessa Perez and violinist Mira Wang, who is al...
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  • Bill Murray!! yes, THAT Bill Murray is coming to Omaha / World-Herald
    Posted At: July 13, 2018 12:00 AM

    Bill Murray is coming to Omaha. Yes, that one. Peter Venkman. Carl Spackler. Phil Connors. Bob Harris. Bob Wiley. Steve Zissou. Murray will bring a live performance of his classical and literary mash-up album, "New Worlds," to the Holland Performing Arts Center on Sept. 30. It's a new addition to the Omaha Performing Arts season, which starts in September. "New Worlds" features Murra...
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  • Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends@Festival Theatre, Edinburgh was a surprisingly magical evening / The Scotsman
    Posted At: June 21, 2018 12:00 AM

    Despite being forewarned that this wouldn't be a traditional evening of anecdotal entertainment from the beloved Bill Murray, it's probably fair to say that no one in the audience knew quite what to expect from Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. There was an initial sense of palpable unease when, after being greeted by a warm ovation, a soberly-suited Murray launched i...
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  • Bill Murray and Jan Vogler will prove they can make beautiful music together at the Long Center / Austin Chronicle
    Posted At: March 14, 2018 12:00 AM

    Bill Murray and Jan Vogler are out to prove that an American comedian and a German cellist can make beautiful music together. Their live concert at the Long Center Sunday MARCH 18 builds on their recording New Worlds, on which Vogler played Bach and Piazzolla, Murray read poetry by Whitman and prose by Twain, and the friends collaborated on songs by Foster, Bernstein, and Gershwin. Through a chance meeti...
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  • The collision of America and Europe comes to the Sydney Opera House / The Brag
    Posted At: February 12, 2018 12:00 AM

    Bill Murray is coming to the Sydney Opera House to perform a surreal art piece with acclaimed cellist Jan Vogler. The show, New Worlds, mixed "classical music (Ravel, Schubert, Saint-Saëns and Bach) with spoken word excerpts from American writers (Twain, Hemingway and Whitman) and classics from the American songbook, including Gershwin, Bernstein and Foster." Murray describes the piece as "the colli...
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  • Bill Murray Stories make The New York Times '5 titles to watch at the SXSW film festival'
    Posted At: February 2, 2018 12:00 AM

    Though movie distribution models are continuing to shift, the festival's producer, Janet Pierson, said SXSW's role was unchanged. "Our job is to connect talent with audience," she said by phone from Austin, Tex., the festival's home. "As the different means of delivery and formats change, we're just looking for people who make compelling work." SXSW has long showcased new television series, and this year...
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  • The Paul Leslie Hour features interview with Jan Vogler and New Worlds giveaway
    Posted At: November 13, 2017 12:00 AM

    Listening to New Worlds, the debut album by Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends has been an invigorating experience for me, it's beautiful to hear the marriage of literature and melodies. Many people know American actor and comedian Bill Murray for his diverse film appearances, but lately he's been honing another talent: reciting great excerpts of American literature and a little singing too.&nbs...
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  • Bill Murray & Jan Vogler take us to - New Worlds / NPR: Morning Edition
    Posted At: October 2, 2017 12:00 AM

    Bill Murray has come a long way since his early days as Nick the Lounge Singer on Saturday Night Live. He made screwball comedies like Caddy Shack and Stripes. Then he made serious films, like Lost in Translation. His latest project is New Worlds, an album where he sings and reads American classics accompanied by a classical trio. It was created with the help of Jan Vogler, a German cellist and Murray...
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