"Upon putting the needle down on this platter (or in reality clicking the mouse on the folder) this album instantly transported me to some rural European countryside, littered with covered wagons encircling a big bonfire, with glasses clinking and and people dancing, or even quite possibly some dimly lit beer hall in which a chartreuse lustily plies her trade from the stage, or even a nightmarish Benny Hill skit gone haywire. Whatever dark cabaret destination may be your choice, Vagabond Opera's The Zeitgeist Beckons will take you there. This amalgam of gypsy, folk, jazz, Brecht and beyond does what great music should: take you on a journey. Don't do this collection a disservice by only listening to a track in the middle of this musical roadmap of hidden highways and byways. This is an album that you need to sit with, start to finish, and let it take you on it's roller coaster path to Neverwhere. It's a ride you won't soon forget. "
Rating: 9/10. It's that good.
- Jay Mazeffect


European Cabaret! Vintage Americana! Balkan Belly Dance! Neo-Classical Opera! Old World Yiddish Theater! Welcome to the six-piece, Portland, Oregon-based Vagabond Opera.

Bohemian Cabaret ensemble Vagabond Opera is described by the Washington Post as “A band of ceaseless charisma, boundless energy, impeccable musicianship and more than a little touch of both the naughty and exotic.” The group delivers passionate offerings of Bohemian cabaret for young and old. Paris hot jazz, gut bucket swing, tangos, Ukrainian folk-punk ballads, klezmer and vigorous originals meet a world of riverboat gambling queens, Turkish belly dancers, and the enigmatic Marlene Dietrich. Weaving elements of Kurt Weil, Duke Ellington and Edith Piaf with absurdist flair, theatrics and an old world mood, Vagabond Opera presents the new wave of opera–lusty voices singing in 13 languages and presenting a cabaret of rich musical phrasing, sparkling lyrics and indomitable stage presence, all played with exuberance, skill and a gritty Vagabond edge. This is Opera liberated and reinvented for everyone!

The band’s lineup features trained operatic tenor and soprano vocals, accordion, tenor saxophone, two cellos, stand-up bass, and drums. Guest performers and dancers often appear with the ensemble.

Vagabond Opera is at the vanguard of a growing popularity in the Neo-cabaret phenomenon, and through their theatrical performances, lyrics in 13 languages, and an eclectic repertoire, they liberate opera from its usual construct, expanding musical and theatrical biodiversity. Vagabond Opera has performed all over the USA and in Europe. They have been featured on NPR, in the Washington Post and Jazziz Magazine, and have shared stages and players with such acclaimed acts as Pink Martini, Devotchka, The Decembrists, Balkan Beat Box, Al Franken, and the Oregon Symphony. Vagabond opera has three full-length albums

Vagabond Opera was created in 2002 by European-trained opera singer and composer Eric Stern. Then disillusioned with the classical opera world, Stern created a new context for opera: Performance on a more intimate scale incorporating not only opera but elements of Weimar Cabaret, Arabic and Balkan forms, and the original music that springs from the ensemble’s fertile creative work. This is not your granny’s opera, but a visceral artistic ensemble that features powerful instrumental and vocal performances coupled with a highly eclectic and theatrical experience.

www.vagabondopera.com