Penn State Faculty Member Releases ‘Mack the Knife’ Music Video

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StateCollege.com Staff

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April 22, 2015 – 4:45 pm

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Max Zorin, violinist and Penn State School of Music faculty member, has released a new music video, “Mack the Knife,” in which Zorin plays the role of the thief, when not playing his violin.

“The subject of the story echoes contemporary themes such as political corruption, poverty, and injustice at all levels of society. I find the timelessness of the story very compelling, and sad at the same time,” explains Zorin.

Notorious bandit and womanizer Macheath, also known as Mack the Knife, is the lead character in “The Threepenny Opera,” written by composer Kurt Weill (1900–1950) and playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956).

It is based on John Gay’s (1685–1732) satirical ballad opera, “The Beggar’s Opera.” “Mack the Knife” became a jazz standard almost immediately after “The Threepenny Opera” opened in 1928.

“I’ve been always very much drawn to satire, theater and the music of Kurt Weill,” says Zorin. “(‘Mack the Knife’) is usually performed in a very cheerful way, but I wanted to showcase the irony as well through sound and image. I decided to recreate this iconic work with an original instrumental arrangement.”

This is one of five selections Zorin has recorded based on “The Threepenny Opera,” which he plans to release on his next CD. The video was recorded and shot in Lyon, France, where Zorin collaborated with some renowned jazz musicians — Vincent Balse on the piano (who co-wrote the arrangement with Zorin), Matthieu Chazarenc on drums and Jerome Regard on bass. The video was directed by Zev Starr-Tambor, a photographer and videographer who shoots for Vogue and whose subjects include Michelle Obama, John Legend and Gisele Bündchen, among others.

The video is part of a project sponsored through a grant from the Penn State Institute for the Arts and Humanities (IAH) and the College of Arts and Architecture.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the creative process, especially in the writing, the search for new colors and sounds that would emulate this character,” added Zorin. “I loved having that freedom; when it comes to music, I’m a bit of an anarchist!”