40 In Song (Musical)
Composer and Musical Director
Inner West Courier
10 August 2010
“...there’s high quality songs and witty patter between the songs. Expect a fun cabaret evening”
Cabaret (Musical)
Vocal Coach
Australian Stage Online
20 November 2009
“Vocal coach Heinz Schweers has ensured more than passable German accents; clipped and sibilant.”
Dame Edna (Cabaret)
Accompanist
Reference from Barry Humphries
10 July 1995
“Dame Edna is not an easy singer to accompany, but Heinz is a considerable artist whose sense of humour matches his talent. I would commend him to anyone requiring the services of such a young and personable musician"
A Nasty Piece of Work (Musical)
Composer and Musical Director
Timeout Sydney
24 September 2008
“...It has an all-new score composed by Heinz Schweers for an eight-piece jazz band and more than a dozen voices. The book and lyrics in the New Theatre's production are by Nick Parsons (who wrote and directed the Bryan Brown film Dead Heart)”
Daily Telegraph
17 October 2008
“If the test of a musical’s strength is the ‘can’t stop humming the songs’ factor, then Nicholas Parsons’ A Nasty Piece of Work is a minor triumph.”
Australian Stage Online
October 2008
“Award-winning playwright Nicholas Parsons (Dead Heart) and composer Heinz Schweers (The Curious Pain of Louis XIV) have collaborated to create a hilarious and bawdy musical comedy bursting with outrageous characters and brilliant songs. Inspired by John Gay’s 18th century romp The Beggar’s Opera, this is contemporary and barbed satire at its most vibrant and entertaining.”
AussieTheatre.com
October 3 2008
“The ballad ‘Love Never Dies’ is schmaltzy romance at its most cliche, but has a melody that is still lingering with me.”
Oz Baby Boomers
12 October 2008
“The play twists and turns and the songs thread through it all, taking on some big issues but never getting too far away from the fun and farce of the show. The writers Heinz Schweers and Nicholas Parsons should take much credit for this...Heinz Schweers is also the Musical Director and ‘leader of the band’. He provides energetic and adept leadership to his fellow musos who collectively contribute most significantly to the quality of the whole
The Curious Pain of Louis XIV (Musical)
Composer, Author and Musical Director
Australian Stage
20 April 2007
“The Curious Pain did have some interesting moments, of particular note was the dream sequence in which Louis takes heed of the guidance of the Bishop of Condom at the close of the first act. The second act stepped up the narrative and brought into play some of the more visually and thematically interesting ideas, such as black magic and the sacrifice of a child...The Curious Pain transitioned seamlessly between dialogue and music and the musicians moved through the score with precision and gusto.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
10 April 2007
“The score - which Schweers describes as "a mix of Kurt Weill and Cole Porter" - makes full use of the four cast members and a jazz quartet... The lyrics are a source of humour throughout, along with some unusual juxtapositions of story and song... It's far cry from Dusty or Shout, but the soap opera-style emotional swings are there and there's even a personal journey”
HenryThornton.com
22 April 2007
“Musical Director Heinz Schweers’ talent is considerable - particularly in his musical creations which accompany moments where characters express their more vulnerable moments...The raunchiness of this production is tangible. Not of an explicit nature, it is the sensuality of the production; the voices, dialogue and the illicit touchings that will definitely have you leaving the theatre feeling a few degrees warmer than when you entered...you will experience some sheer moments of emotion and ego-recognition in Louis XIV that more established companies often miss.”
Caucasian Chalk Circle (Play with music)
Composer of 16 songs and Musical Director
The Program
Bernadette Tong
May 2006
“The performances were great and the singing was brilliant, with the musical accompaniment of saxophone and violin.”
Australian Stage Online
6 May 2006
No Brecht production would be complete without songs, and musical director Heinz Schweers has done an amazing job of the musical arrangement and composition. The troupe of singers deliver each song in beautiful a cappella, with the addition of the lone saxophone (and sometimes violin) merely accompanying, not leading, the voices.
Noel and Cole: Lives In Exile (Cabaret)
Performer, Pianist and Co-writer
Sydney Star Observer
24 February 2005
“Noel and Cole: Lives in Exile is Schweers’ attempt to try to show what things were really like for his friends Noel Coward when they lived in Paris in the1920s”
Opera Opera
April 2005
“Schweers quickly proved himself to be every bit as able a pianist as Tesorio is a singer; both musically and banter-wise”
Kathleen Ferrier: A Time of Kings and Queens (Cabaret)
Performer, Pianist, and Co-writer
Real Time Magazine
April-May 2004
“As if sharing morning and then afternoon tea with us, Tesoriero and accompanist Heinz Schweers chat about Ferrier’s life and sadly short career with a blend of introductions, anecdotes, gossipy banter and readings with dashes of witty theatricality...I hope that Tesoriero and Schweers keep Kathleen Ferrier: A Time of Kings and Queens in repertoire: it’s an intriguing and engaging fusion of recital and theatre and would make ideal festival fare”
One Touch of Venus (Musical)
Musical Arrangements and Musical Director
Der Tagesspiegel
24 November 2001
“Rosenberg singt Rosenberg, mit dieser unverwechselbaren Stimme, die ihre Fans lieben, zuvorkommend begleitet von Heinz Adrian Schweers und seinem kleinen Orchester [Rosenberg sings Rosenberg with this unchanging voice that her fans love, accompanied obligingly by Heinz Schweers and his small orchestra]”
Berliner Zeitung
26 November 2001
“Der musikalische Leiter Heinz Adrian Schweers hat "One Touch of Venus" nun sehr geschmeidig und abwechslungsreich für eine achtköpfige saxofondominierte Band bearbeitet. [The Musical Director Heinz Adrian Schweers has arranged One Touch of Venus for an 8 piece saxophone dominated band with many supple, rich and sensitive changes in tone colour.]”
Tip Magazine
November 2001
“Die Songs von Kurt Weill tragen den Abend, zumal am Pult der exzellenten kleinen Band mit Heinz Adrian Schweers ein Profi sitzt, der Arrangement mit Pfiff dirigiert. [The songs of Kurt Weill carried the evening and were accompanied by an excellent band. The arrangement was conducted with verve by the professional Heinz Adrian Schweers.]
Frankfurter Rundschau
28 November 2001
“Eher Singspiel als sattes Broadway-Musical, vom Orchester unter der Leitung von Heinz Adrian Schweers mit leichter Hand Vorgetragen [More Singspiel than traditional Broadway musical, Heinz Schweers directed the piece with ease.]
Dresdener Neuste Nachrichten
29 November 2001
“Die spielten unter Heinz AdrianSchweers und notgedrungen auch in seinen Arrangements zuverlaessig und charakteristisch. [They performed under Heinz Adrian Schweers reliably and characteristically.]”
Sueddeutsche Zeitung
27 November 2001
“...die Solide Bandarbeit unter der Leitung von Heinz Adrian Schweers [...the solid work of the band under the direction of Heinz Adrian Schweers]”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
26 November 2001
“...da konnte Heinz Adrian Schweers vom Klavier seine acht Musikerkollegen noch so inpiriert animieren [that an such an inspired Heinz Adrian Schweers was able to animate his 8 musicians from the piano]”
Der Tagespiegel
25 November 2001
“zuvorkommend begleitet von Heinz Schweers [obligingly accompanied by Heinz Schweers]”
SommerNachtTraum [SummerNightDream] (Musical)
Musical Direction
Berliner Zeitung
14 August 2000
“...mit lässiger Präzision von Heinz Adrian Schweers am Klavier geleitet. [...led from the piano with casual precision]”
Tagesspiegel
18 August 2000
“Berlin’s Best, Oper [Opera] SommerNachtTraum”
Die Welt Am Sonntag
13 August 2000
“Es bewaeltigt die vielschichtige Klang-Collage unter der Musikalischen Leitung von Heinz Schweers souveraen. [The many sound colours were handled superbly by the musical director Heinz Schweers.]”
Rundblick
August 2000
“Die sommerfarbenfrohe and klare musikalische Leitung am Klavier lag in den Haenden von Heinz Adrian Schweers. [The joy of summer colours and musical direction lay in the hands of Heinz Adrian Schweers.]”
Michelangelo (Song Cycle)
Accompanist
Strelitzer Zeitung
25 February 1999
"Am Klavier begleitet selbstaendig und gelegentlich draengeld Heinz Schweers [Heinz Schweers accompanies in his own right]”
