I have been entranced by an Aerotone compilation, Electronica Unplugged. The title gives a good idea of what is in store for you when you download it. However, I'm thinking the label, "contemporary classical" might be appropriate to describe the collection.I have selected a piece called St. Petersburg that is performed by the Bersarin Quartett. I gather that they take their name from Nikolai Bersarin who was a military administrator in East Berlin at the end of World War II. He died in a motorcycle crash in 1945. This is what I was able to piece together with my severely limited German. I'm intrigued by how this story relates to these artists and if anyone wants to supply us with a down and dirty translation of their info page we would sure appreciate it (Philippe?).
Bersarin Quartett - St. Petersburg
2 comments:
since i can never refuse an invitation to get down and dirty (wow, you already know how to get me):
the track "st. petersburg" stands for limitless melancholia as it only can be written in the deep east. ambientpop is mixing with shadowy erik satie and the dark, quiet side of aphex twin. soft klick-klack is cushioned in beautiful piano fragments. the sounds leave the author and let him nearly disappear. the tunnel at the end of the light, this is what opens the bersarin-quartet for us. and brings us socialist, slighlty run-down grandezza.
the communist nikolai bersarin had a deadly accident in berlin with his motorbike at the young age of 41. in these engrossed electronic sounds of the seasides of the eastern block he lives on and revives 60 years later in a postmodern way. this music could also play as imprisoned in the royal household of the north-corean president kim il-sung. if you want to be happy to be sad then this strange orchestra helps.
original german text by christoph jacke (november 2006)
the original is rather - hm - poetic, meaning the translation sounds at places somewhat funny (especially the last two sentences)
then - there is the german term "ostalgie" fusing "nostalgia" and "east" as reference to the glorification of the eastern, socialist past - the text above somehow stands in this context - in a postmodern, ironic way, i guess...
cheers, philippe
Thanks Philippe, this is a big help.
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