Volkslied Reloaded

The award-winning world-music-jazz ensemble Quadro Nuevo and the Munich Radio Orchestra reform traditional German folk songs and give them a new instrumental sound full of musical finesses. Under the direction of Elisabeth Fuchs the musicians the musicians have given a face-lift to well-known songs like "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" (The moon is fully risen), "Hoch auf dem gelben Wagen" (High up on the yellow post coach) and "Die Gedanken sind frei" (Thoughts are free) and injected virtuosic creativity into almost forgotten melodies such as "In einem kühlen Grunde" (The broken ringlet), "Kein schöner Land" (No country more lovely) and "Maikäfer, flieg" (Fly away ladybird). The result is a multi-faceted instrumental album with influences from bossa nova, tango, jazz, world and film music.

In the hands of five "award-winning and internationally successful thoroughbred musicians" (according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung) music styles that seem hardly compatible join together on a musical expedition that opens up completely new aspects of seemingly old, familiar songs. Who would have thought that "Am Brunnen vor dem Tore" (The linden tree) or "Sah ein Knab ein Röslein stehn" (Roselet on the heather) could sound so lively in an arrangement for saxophone, accordion, harp, double bass, piano and orchestra? With their effortless and passionate love of music making, their energy and rhythmic refinement, the Quadro Nuevo ensemble proves that this sophisticated blend of sound is not merely worth listening to, but utterly mesmerizing.

The German-language folk song genre has experienced many ups and downs in its lifetime. It was pressed into the service of nationalist movements, force-fed to children as musical fodder and often turned into pure kitsch. While the Italians, Scandinavians, Russians and Greeks happily sit about singing their folk songs, German folk songs are scarcely heard these days. Quadro Nuevo is bringing them back from oblivion, playing them in their own unique and lively manner, along the lines of:

The moon has risen. Let's meet at the fountain before the gate. Thoughts are free. Let them fly.