The folk song livesMusic is not only a cross-border means of communication, but also the very own cultural treasure of every nation. But because it was badly abused in National Socialist Germany, the country of poets and thinkers, who created such wonderful verses for it, has a split relationship to its folk songs. But a renaissance seems to be in the offing, old songs are being taken up and cultivated! And sometimes quite different than you think, as evidenced by the new CD from the world musicians of "Quadro Nuevo": "Folk Song Reloaded".
They travel around the globe to get inspiration for their attractive programs from all over the world and their sound cultures. But sometimes you don't have to go far away when the good things are so close: This time, the five artists of "Quadro Nuevo" focus on their own culture and their songs. Together with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester they recorded a wonderful album under the direction of Elisabeth Fuchs. You yourself call it a personal experiment. And this has succeeded all along the line!
No, the arrangement of "Kein schöner Land" is not by Henry Mancini. Many other swinging adaptations of folk songs like "Hoch auf dem gelben Wagen" or "In einem kühlen Grunde" sound a bit like the creator of the famous "Pink Panther Theme", too. Perhaps it was subconsciously a little godfather, when Mulo Francel began to work on the traditional melodies? Especially the accordion solos of Andreas Hinterseher remind lovingly of the colleague from overseas.
Two bright red threads run through the program of "Volkslied Reloaded": on the one hand, of course, the collection of classics par excellence such as "Am Brunnen vor dem Tore" or "Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten", on the other hand, the always swinging style, for which "Quadro Nuevo" and the Munich Radio Orchestra contribute the necessary big band sound. Sometimes you let yourself go and improvise grooving – for example and most appropriately with "Die Gedanken sind frei" -, sometimes you recognize the melodies immediately. Whether it's Mozart's "Bona nox" or a silvery "Der Mond ist aufgegangen." The production proves that folk songs (that folk song – the title deliberately uses the singular!) still have a lot to say today.
"Sah ein Knab ein Röslein stehn" paints the picture of a dew-covered, lonely meadow, and "Kennst Du das Land" sounds wonderfully smooth as bossa nova. "Im Frühtau zu Berge" the hiker is already shuffling his feet (does the saxophone play something like "Meep meep" by Chuck Jones Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote?), surprisingly the rich sheet metal gives a view of a tonal alpine massif and intones the melody. The strings take up the whole thing again – flashback to (TV) childhood: Suddenly you're standing as a cowboy "At the foot of the blue mountains" – the number is simply moving, perhaps one of the best of the whole album, worth listening to, oh what: experiencing!