Das Blaue Einhorn Chansons and Urban Folklore

Band Info (or the attempt to explain a marvellous phenomenon)

If you haven’t seen Das Blaue Einhorn (‘The Blue Unicorn’) with your own eyes, it’s possible you might take the extraordinarily enthusiastic audience reactions to the band’s concerts for somewhat over-the-top. If however you’re one of those who’s ‘been there’, you know just how appropriate such reactions are and how you can look forward to enjoying the memory of the wondrous experience for a long time to come...

One thing’s for sure: This quartet from Dresden, Germany is indeed marvellous; a band of extraordinary charisma, expressiveness, distinctiveness and artistic integrity. And like its legendary namesake, Das Blaue Einhorn blazes its own musical trail, defying all efforts to be pigeonholed.

Four classical musicians with several years of street music experience play

Chansons and Urban Folklore, uniquely combining the power of the street with the refined precision of chamber music in an astonishing way. Breathtaking virtuosity, fat grooves and often dizzying tempos in a harmonic union with tender, delicately precise chamber music sounds comprise the very root of the unmistakable Einhorn sound.

But these four musicians are also fascinating storytellers, and more important to them than technical virtuosity and musical perfection is the heart of the song. A Blaue Einhorn concert always melds into a spiritual and musical unit. Das Blaue Einhorn takes on a theme and builds a concert program and CD around it.

The songs and stories are gathered together by the musicians from the greatest variety of regions, cultures and eras, and then presented either in their original language and/or translated into German, or sometimes with completely new lyrics – via band compositions or new, wonderful arrangements and interpretations.

This is how 17 years together has equipped Das Blaue Einhorn with the unique repertoire of traditional songs, chansons, Balkan and Klezmer dances, gypsy songs, Yiddish songs, Greek Rembetiko, Argentinian Tango, Portuguese Fado, ballads and Russian romances that is so typical for the band.

With vocals, accordion, , , contrabass and other supplementary instruments such as the chalumeau, , , , oud, tuba, and the Thüringian cittern, Das Blaue Einhorn tells stories of love and pain, longing and beauty, life and death or, in their new program, of holding on and letting go. (Details on the various programs are contained in the band’s brief bio, page 3).

Das Blaue Einhorn feels most at home on smaller stages (up to 500 people) with direct contact to its audience, but can also be seen at larger events and festivals where there is less focus on the event and spectacle itself and where instead, it is the fine nuances, emotions and poetry that take centre-stage.

And Das Blaue Einhorn has little need for special technical effects and elaborate stage shows, preferring to rely on the substance of the songs and the band’s own special magic.

Das Blaue Einhorn plays some one hundred shows annually, featuring its current standard concert program or taking selections from its repertoire that are thematically aligned with the respective event, for example, at Shostakovich Evenings, Lessing celebrations, Shalom celebrations, church festivals or Poetry Evenings. The band is also often invited to participate in musical explorations to play with orchestras and musicians from the classical sector, such as the Bremen Philharmonic and the Rossini Quartet, as well as frequently supplying the soundtrack for audio books and film music which they are commissioned to compose.

Das Blaue Einhorn’s uncompromising independence is also demonstrated in its CD productions. The CD recordings, editing, production and distribution are conducted by the band’s own record label, Unicornio Records, founded in 1996 by Einhorn guitarist Andreas Zöllner. Frontman Paul Hoorn does the artwork and liner notes for the beautiful CD sleeves, booklets and posters that reflect the passion and joy of the music. The CDs are not produced in a slick manner for mass appeal, but are instead focused on musical honesty. You can almost ‘see’ the musicians in front of you, and it leaves one wondering just how they have managed to breath so much life into this otherwise ‘dead’ medium. The current release, featuring the new program, ’Verkauf Dein Pferd - Lieder vom Halten und Lassen’, contains for the first time the whole dramaturgy of the concert, comprising two CDs in total.

Das Blaue Einhorn’s management is also exclusive and active only on the band’s behalf. While Andreas Zöllner maintained contact with the outside world during the band’s early years, Irene Bader has now been in charge of Konzertbüro Das Blaue Einhorn for the last eight years.

Das Blaue Einhorn - Chansons and Urban Folklore

In a nutshell…

The Name ‘Das Blaue Einhorn’ is named after a mythical creature sung about by Cuban singer Silvio Rodrigues in his song, "Unicornio", where legend states that the unicorn uses its horn to capture melodies from the night, then passing them onto others. The band finds its music in the same way as the legendary animal in the song, recycling it then in their individual, personalised fashion with their own arrangements and interpretations, only to present it then to their audience. And as with the unicorn in the song, the band casts a spell with its music from which there is simply no escape.

The Repertoire Chansons from Eastern Europe, South America and the Mediterranean, Klezmer music, ballads, gypsy tunes, Yiddish songs, Russian romances, Argentinean tango, fado, Greek Rembetiko, Sinti-Swing, Musette... all newly arranged and interpreted by these four musicians in their own wonderful way.

The Music The music spans the arc between street music and chamber music, embodying the raw quality and explosiveness of the street and the differentiated, delicate subtlety of a chamber concert. Effortlessly melding these two worlds, the result is truly a cosmos of sounds, rhythms and impressions. The remarkably concentrated interplay of the four professional musicians reveals itself to be extremely sophisticated, sensitive and precise. At the same time, the playful ease with which they combine their technical virtuosity is fascinating.

The Instrumentation Vocals, accordion, trumpet, violin, guitar, contrabass and other supplementary instruments such as the chalumeau, cello, oud, tuba, trombone and Thuringian cittern…each of the players is a multi-instrumentalist.

The Program In 2008/2009, Das Blaue Einhorn will be presenting its new concert program exclusively.

Verkauf dein Pferd - Lieder vom Halten und Lassen (Sell Your Horse - Songs of Holding On and Letting Go)

Holding on and letting go depicted as a necessary balance, inhaling and exhaling, dancing, allowing one note to follow the other, staying and going... these are the topics of the new concert program. Chanson, Fado, Tango, Klezmer, Musette, Rembetiko, Gypsy music - all these versions of blues that describe goodbyes, a longing for the southern sun, long journeys, the attempt to hang onto something and always letting go again...to finally be able to dance the Kolo in freedom. Music played with and easy hand and lots of passion, full of poetry, melancholy, joy and singing, fervent, raw and tender.

In addition, Das Blaue Einhorn plays selections from its repertoire appropriate for specific event themes and for festivals and dances. One specialty of theirs is the Christmas concerts, already legendary in Dresden, which the band also takes on tour under the right circumstances. Just ask us.

The Concert Locations On large and small stages, in chamber concert halls, in clubs, theatres, churches and cultural associations, courtyards, castles, fortresses, at international festivals, summer festivals, village squares... in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and in the Benelux countries.

The Musicians Paul Hoorn – Vocals, accordion, trumpet, chalumeau Andreas Zöllner – Guitar, bouzuki, oud, trombone, vocals Dietrich Zöllner – Contrabass, knee fiddle, cello, tuba, vocals Florian Mayer – Violin, bass, vocals

Brief Biographies of the Musicians

Paul Hoorn Vocals, accordion, trumpet, chalumeau: Born in 1960, Paul has been a lover and collector of traditional music since his youth. He studied , composition, choir direction and organ, spending many years as a church musician before moving on to theatre music. In 1991, he and Andreas Zöllner formed Das Blaue Einhorn. Paul is a freelance musician and composer, writing music for theatre, film and audio books. Paul Hoorn is the creative head of the band. He arranges most of the pieces and is responsible for the German adaptations and translations, as well as additionally coming up with the concepts for the CD booklets and posters.

Andreas Zöllner Guitar, bouzuki, oud, trombone, vocals: Born in 1963, Andreas actually wanted to study theology. Instead he spent many years as a librarian at Dresden’s Ecclesiastical Music School and focused intensively on classical guitar. Co-founder of Das Blaue Einhorn together with Paul Hoorn in 1991, Andreas Zöllner is additionally active as a freelance sound engineer, and in 1996 he founded the record label, Unicornio Records.

Dietrich Zöllner Contrabass, knee fiddle, cello, Thuringian cittern, tuba, vocals: Born in 1965, Dietrich spent a number of years as an orchestra musician after completing his music studies. He studied cello and found his way to the bass through the violin. His impressive diversity, virtuosity, unorthodox playing and confident musicality have enriched Das Blaue Einhorn since 1993. Dietrich Zöllner is greatly in demand as a composer for theatre and film music, as well as providing musical instruction at the ‘Kreuzschule’ in Dresden.

Florian Mayer Violin, viola, bass, vocals: Born in 1974, Florian studied classical violin in Dresden up to the Master Class, then decided against an orchestral career in favour of the life of a freelance musician. Along with classical music, he is also deeply interested in jazz, world music and free improvisation. He was a member of the Dresden Symphony from 1997 – 2005, and his solos focus on the unconventional and new. Since 1995, he has been involved in a broad array of theatre productions at Dresden’s Staatsschauspiel Theatre and Staatsoper Opera, as well as in artistic activities throughout Germany and Europe. He has been a member of Das Blaue Einhorn since May of 2006.

Das Blaue Einhorn - Band Biography

Das Blaue Einhorn was founded in 1991 by Paul Hoorn and Andreas Zöllner with a concert protesting the Gulf War, featuring Paul Hoorn (vocals, accordion, trumpet), Andreas Zöllner (acoustic and electric guitar), Christoph Bellmann (contrabass), Dirk Hessel (percussion, drums); following Dirk Hessels’ departure, the group played street music, dance music, music in pubs and smaller concerts as a trio; MC: Ojfn mittn gass. In 1993, knee fiddler Dietrich Zöllner joined, at first sporadically, and then as a permanent member of the band; the group’s profile grew as a result of its frequent live appearances; Cassette release: Gesänge aus der Nacht. 1996 saw the release of the first CD Maljarkiza – Klänge aus Europa; an ever-growing number of concerts throughout the region, premier presentation of the Christmas program, ‘Die seltsam stumme Nacht ’ in the Podium in Dresden wit bassist Christoph Zöllner as guest. 1997 sees the first “large” concert in Dresden’s Lukas Church; excited media interest; new bassist Tino Scholz; second CD Vida Nocturna – Musik aus den Straßen. 1998 brings a collaboration with Gerhard Schöne on two tracks on his CD, Das Leben der Dinge; Premier presentation of the concert program, Lied der Lieder von Mauthausen. 1999 Folk Sponsorship Award in Rudolstadt; third CD, Gesänge aus verlorenen Gärten. 2000 Premier presentation des Chanson Theatre Schöne Wilde Weihnacht with Karolina Petrova in Dresden’s Societaetstheater; numerous tours. 2001 sees bassist Michael ’Schnorke’ Burkhardt join the band. 2002 brings over 100 concerts per year in Germany and Austria; fourth CD Lebenstanz – Lieder, Chansons und Tänze zwischen Hinken und Fliegen. 2003 sees the release of not one, but two new CDs, featuring completely different sides of Das Blaue Einhorn: Meine Taube im Geklüft der Felsen – Gesänge der Liebe als Brücke zwischen den Welten, a concert program specially conceived in its music and content for church-type rooms, featuring guest singer Karolina Petrova and Wird sein Musik – Das Blaue Einhorn spielt zum Tanz. 2005 brings a new concert program and CD, Traum mit Schlangen – Folklore und Chansons aus dem Dickicht der Städte. Extensive tour. Premier presentation of the new musical- theatrical Christmas program O seltsam Gemeinschaft des Tags mit der Nacht in Dresden; 2006 Das Blaue Einhorn celebrates its 15th anniversary; Anniversary Tour starting in May – Oifn Weg – 15 Jahre Das Blaue Einhorn; new members with Florian Mayer on violin and Dietrich Zöllner moving to bass. 2007/2008 Concert program / CD Verkauf dein Pferd-Lieder vom Halten und Lassen

CD Releases

1996 Maljarkiza – Klänge aus Europa 1997 Vida Nocturna – Musik aus den Strassen 1999 Gesänge aus verlorenen Gärten 2002 Lebenstanz – Lieder, Chansons und Tänze zwischen Hinken und Fliegen 2003 Wird sein Musik – Das Blaue Einhorn spielt zum Tanz 2003 Meine Taube im Geklüft der Felsen – Gesänge der Liebe als Brücke zwischen den Welten 2005 Traum mit Schlangen – Folklore und Chansons aus dem Dickicht der Städte 2007 Verkauf dein Pferd – Lieder vom Halten und Lassen / Double CD

Contact/ Booking Konzertbüro Das Blaue Einhorn, Forsthausstrasse 9, D- 01309 Dresden Telephone : +49 (0)351-312-3151, Fax : +49 (0)351-312-3154, Email : [email protected], www.dasblaueeinhorn.de