IWASIG
Iwasig - Live concert on DVD
Hubert von Goisern - Iwasig DVD
The Concert
Hubert von Goisern played his new programme Iwasig - which means over, above when translated - for the first time on his journeys through Africa in spring 2002.
In summer 2002 he set off with this programme on a long tour at home, which was one of the most successful of his career. With it he followed a new way: the new numbers were first presented live, before they were to be had on CD!
Hubert can rouse the audience to storms of enthusiasm with the atmospheric, packed programme and each evening gets something quite special: something is not as usual, something is in the air" Hubert sings at the beginning of the programme in Aus is and with it secures the full attention of his listeners then at the latest. The enthusiasm is infectious once more, despite the new band lineup and despite the mostly unknown music. There is plentiful applause - but only between the songs: you don't want to miss a nuance, not a sound.
Each song becomes a little world journey, Africa, South America and the Dachstein Massive seem to be directly next to each other. The Alps rock to the groove of the bongo drums as with Afrika; jazz, rock and reggae rhythms are yodelled and sung to in dialect with Heilige, I bin an, Poika and the old numbers Katholisch and Da Diab. In between are also quieter sounds again and again as with Schad, Fia Di - and the classic Heast as nit as encore. Violin, harmonica, guitar, accordion, percussion create an unrestrained mixture of styles and everything fits together and blends in a way in which you could not have thought up more beautifully.
But the view to the original roots is never lost: as well as with the quieter, traditional numbers from the Trad CD, Hubert von Goisern also remains true to himself and his music with his new material. And when he then buckles on his diatonic, works it like Gary Moore works his guitar and yodels to electric guitar riffs and drums, then there are juchitzers from even the rear grandstand places. Musical freestyle of the most pleasant sort - because Hubert von Goisern knows exactly how he, as a traveller, can make his passengers happy.
Apart from a complete concert from the Iwasig tour, there is a further "treat" on the concert DVD - recordings from the backstage area, interviews and information about the musicians!
The concert DVD will be a must for every Goisern
fan.
The recordings are unique and only available on DVD!
It's so looouuud!
Hubert von Goisern: Iwasig DVD
On the Iwasig DVD you get the complete concert of the Iwasig tour, served hot and rich, and whoever was there knows that it was really great and Hubert von Goisern offers a bright mix of pieces which are shaped by musical influences from all over the place. Apart from a "Catholic" reggae, he indulges in the blues in Heilige, he sings I bin an with funk and it goes oriental in the exotic Besser Werdn, while the previously described travel influences settle in Afrika. You can count on it, that he also remains true to his musical roots, in this case with pieces like the squeezebox-bothersome Volxjammer, Fia Di and Schleiniger. There is also something for every musical taster and whoever takes the trouble to pay attention to the lyrics at times, will discover a lot of wit, profundity and passion in them, which gets a very individual, somehow brash tone through the Goisern dialect. Certainly, being there live is always unbeatable, but instead I can spool it here and there, until I finally detect "aus is und gschengn is, weils wahr is, dass klar is, dass bogn is und g'logen is und jeder a narr is und i vielleicht a wenn i moan i mua toan, was i mua und i tua und es is niemals gnua..." ("it's over and out, cause it's true and it's clear, that it's not straight and it's lied too, and everyone is a fool, maybe me too, thinking I have to do, what I have to and I do, and it's never enough"). Additionally you can also play the little mouse behind the scenes and discover information about each band member (where do they come from, where are they going...) in the form of backstage reports and interviews. On balance: it grooved and gave a sense of cheerfulness even on a gloomy day!
Iwasig
"Ich wollte, ich wäre ein bisschen mehr katholisch, dann wäre das alles ganz leicht" ("I wish I was a little more Catholic, then everything would be easy"). Hubert von Goisern has an unusual charisma. He is odd, unconventional and with it, very open-minded. You have to be a little thick-skinned when you want to establish alpine sound in a pop music style. That can start with the accordion, but with yodelling? What their Hans Jürgen Buchner from Haindling (with the tuba reggae) is to the Bavarians, Hubert von Goisern celebrated for years with the Alpinkatzen. There they drew on unlimited folk music resources, but it happened intelligently enough, that the tightrope walk between the pose of a rocker and the pose of a "squeezebox player" (accordion player) was quite naturally successful. So not Zillertaler Schürzenjäger or similar. You only need to see once on this DVD how Hubert von Goisern stands on the stage when he plays the instrument. It is really definitely un-Catholic. Not just completely incidentally, Hubert von Goisern is also an excellent lyricist. Nevertheless, it is not always bad that you don't always understand it. Because who really wants to understand the lyrics when a soul number is neatly grooving? It is about the party. And in any case it takes place on Iwasig. Hubert von Goisern and his band make thoughtful to groovy rock music with ethno flair. The alpine accordion and yodelling come over like a facet which has been missing from world music. After the dissolution of the Alpinkatzen, Hubert von Goisern was pulled, musically seen anyway, ever more to Africa. His experiences there are documented on the likewise recently released DVD Grenzenlos.
The music on Iwasig is very shaped by Hubert von Goisern's wanderlust. The band, which he has now gathered around him, has the suitable sound carpet in their luggage in order to let the concert become the world music delicacy. The occasional jazzy violin solos are especially fantastic and the quiet numbers on the disc have something of the nostalgia after a holiday. Whoever likes intelligent singing/songwriting - with a good shot of un-Catholic - Hubert von Goisern is the right man for him or her.
Review
He once became famous with a "new folk music", went against the grain of tradition and combined homeland sounds with rock. However, in the meantime, Hubert von Goisern terrifically expanded his style spectrum a long time ago - as is seen for example on the concert recording Iwasig. The man, who takes his stage name from the town of Goisern (situated between Bad Ischl and Hallstatt), works with music elements from all over the world in this atmospheric live recording from summer 2002. Apart from earthy songs (Heast as nit from the best-seller Omunduntn (sic), Fön, Volxjammer, Poika etc), out of passion, the globetrotter shows here in a good many songs that he is obviously at home in the big wide world. He has funky music (I Bi Ån) and the blues (Heilige) in his repertoire as one knows it from the southern states of the USA; he works with the township beat which he has got to know on his travels in Africa (Afrika); he superbly masters the reggae vibes from the Caribbean (Katholisch); he is acquainted with South American salsa sounds (Akipenda) and even has oriental scales (Besser Werdn). A perfect example of a cosmopolitan!
However, with all the cosmopolitanism and wanderlust, the music nomad from the Upper Austrian Dachstein region never loses sight of his roots. In the centre of this wonderful concert therefore, clearly stands the care of homeland traditions. In proper gstanzls and juchitzers (Schleiniger), yodels from the alpine area (Kohler) and love songs in dialect (Fia Di) Hubert von Goisern remains true to his origin and keeps the inheritance of his forefathers with much love. In handling inherited homeland sounds, he strictly adheres to classical composer Gustav Mahler, who once said: "Tradition is the passing on of fire, not the worship of ashes."
Grenzenlos & Iwasig
Hubert von Goisern, the superb musician from Austria, is fascinated time and time again by experiencing the musical diversity of this planet and musically pondering on it himself.
Grenzenlos documents a 5 week Africa trip in spring 2002 through Egypt, the Cape Verde islands, Senegal and Burkina Faso, on which he played for and with native musicians, in search of a mutual musical language.
In summer and autumn 2002 he was then travelling in Europe again. Iwasig is a 133 minute concert recording from this tour. Real folk music with heart and mind.
Without borders
In Africa and "at home"
Hubert von Goisern has two new DVD in his luggage
On his trip through Africa in spring 2002 Hubert von Goisern played his current programme, Iwasig (which translated means over, above). In summer 2002 he goes on tour with his programme on an extensive tour "at home", which will be one of the most successful of his career. And: for the first time the new songs are presented live before they are to be had on CD. Aside from the complete Iwasig concert the DVD contains additional sequences from the backstage area, interviews and information on the accompanying musicians as further "sweets" (in fine Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound).
The Grenzenlos DVD reflects Hubert von Goisern's trip through the world: in Egypt together with the native superstar Mohamed Mounir he gives a celebrated concert in Assiut; in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, von Goisern appears together with the native group Simentera; in the poor district of Ecopol he and his band played probably the best concert of this unusual tour. And: musical meetings of the archaic kind come to light on the way to difficult to reach villages in Senegal, where the inhabitants received the guests with traditional singing and danced to the songs Hubert von Goisern played on his accordion.
Hubert von Goisern on tour with with two new DVDs
Hubert von Goisern will be on tour in Austria and Germany from June to August. Those who want to get in the mood perfectly can do so with two simultaneous DVD releases. For one there is a concert recording of his iwasig tour from last year. Naturally here are presented the songs which were later released on the album of the same name. This concert especially shows again the influences with which Hubert von Goisern has become acquainted in other cultures. And it is about that exactly on the second DVD: his journeys to Egypt, Cape Verde, Senegal and Burkina Faso. A total of 120 minutes' documentary allows a look at the preparation of his concerts in these countries and the contact formed there with native musicians. In their simple composition, without impressive bonus material, both DVDs give an impression of the current musical development of Hubert von Goisern. In order to confirm this impression with your own experiences, you can go to a summer concert.
Hubert von Goisern lets loose a DVD avalanche
The DVDs Grenzenlos and Iwasig are the first releases
from Hubert von Goisern on BMG.
They stand for a change of strategy from his label Lawine.
"Actually we wanted to finally help Hubert von Goisern to an international breakthrough, but the good world music ties at Virgin proved to be a one way street," Hage Hein, manager of Munich-base Blanko Musik, justifies the change of his label Lawine to BMG. "Germany and Austria remain receivers in this genre and not sender countries for artists. Now the utilisation in the German-speaking area is the priority for us." But with it Hubert von Goisern is in better hands with the folk music friends BMG. The change of strategy comes at just a time when the singer from the Salzkammergut is making new international contacts.
In the past year, Goisern has toured through Africa in order to test how his music is received there. In Egyptian Assiut the Austrian played at the side of the star singer Mohamed Mounir in front of more than 15,000 people, and the group made an appearance in Dakar in the notorious poor district Ecopol. This trip was recorded on the double DVD Grenzenlos (82876518609), which BMG is releasing on 5th May. Hein: "The travel film shows the positive reaction of the people there. His music only encounters prejudices at the record companies." The new contacts are already bearing their first fruits. Goisern will play in Cape Verde in the middle of May. Afterwards follow appearances in Romania and possibly even a gig at WOMAD in Singapore. At the same time, Goisern and Mounir are touring together through Germany and Austria, starting from 19th June.
Goisern also tested the programme from his CD Iwasig - which in autumn 2002, still under Virgin, reached number 52 in the German album charts - for the first time in front of an African audience. Before the release he presented the new numbers on his hitherto most successful tour in the German-speaking area. Despite the new band lineup and largely unknown music, the audience were moved to storms of enthusiasm, as the concert DVD Iwasig (82876518599) also shows, which apart from a recording from the Iwasig tour, also contains recordings from backstage, interviews and information about the musicians.
An exceptional artist up close
Hubert von Goisern: Grenzenlos, Iwasig
Hubert von Goisern is spoiling his fans with two simultaneous DVD releases in the merry month of May: Iwasig is a recording of the 50 year old's most recent tour, and Grenzenlos is a kind of travel film for Hubert von Goisern's spectacular world music project, which led him all over the world. A bit much at once? Very much even, and that won't bother true fans.
The DVD of his Iwasig tour will be especially important to those who love Hubert von Goisern's music. Goisern, that alpine ethno enthusiast who is able to unite the folk music of all countries thanks to his Styrian button accordion, plays his complete concert programme of 18 titles here. This is not only complete, but also in quite extraordinary sound quality, at which the maker of the DVD has efficiently tinkered. The very intimate camera direction, which makes you think rather of a small club stage than of the usual large arenas, also raises the concert experience to an unbelievable concrete sound picture experience. Not just fans who left the ticket window empty-handed, but also concert visitors who came no closer than a metre are offered a great perspective.
Otherwise the DVD does not offer wonderful gimmicks. The presentation of the individual musicians in the form of interviews is helpful and endearing, the accompaniment, made possible via menu, of Goisern through a concert day too. But the strength of this DVD is the concert film of which you almost feel a part, the direct and immediate stage presence of the musician himself.
A piece of luck that he disposed of the rubbish from his old raging rock Alpinkatzen and hoisted these wonderful multicultural chaps into the boat. They are jazzy, ethno, rocky, poppy, Caribbean, alpinesque and sometimes all at once. Goisern primarily plays pieces from Fön, the Trad CD and the Iwasig CD, plus new numbers which will be found on his new studio CD expected in the autumn. It is great that the encores offer the immortal Heast as nit and the Kohler yodel.
When Hubert von Goisern received the offer from the Goethe Institute, to present his alpine music in Assiut / Egypt, he took the whole thing to be a mistake at first. A concert should be played together with the wonderful Egyptian-Nubian musician Mohamed Mounir, before which the two bands could only meet for a few hours. A hazardous business! By the way, an old acquaintance played the oud with Mounir's band, namely Roman Bunka, member of the first German ethno band Embryo. Thanks to this knowledge of language, the meeting also then led to a wonderful concert, even if only one piece was worked out together: this one piece is great! Instructed by his two main interests, music and travelling, after the Egypt experience, Goisern also moved to Cape Verde, Senegal and Burkina Faso, accompanied by a sensitive camera team which he had organised to his taste.
Who ever loves Goisern's concerts, they stick with his Iwasig DVD. In the case of the Grenzenlos DVD, you can rather speak of a calm travel report, which is suitable for fans who are interested in the person. Fans of non-European music, the people who go with it and foreign countries, can also have fun with this double DVD. Long breaks and a very personal leadership from Hubert von Goisern himself, who also entered these countries as a newcomer, let the journeys blend together to a beautiful report, which offers not only countries, people, adventures, but also a very thoughtful look at Goisern, the world and its music. The peaceful, beautiful view of the unknown countries, neither glossed over nor reproachful and underlined with Goisern's music, demonstrated without many words that we all live on one world, that we are people of one family. A universal language of pictures.
The small Munich Lawine label, Goisern's musical home, changed to agency of BMG Ariola with these ambitious publications. After the hoped for international breakthrough was missing with the past partner Virgin, one is now obviously betting on the folk music background in the BMG house, in order to at least advance into new dimensions in the German-speaking area.
Verdict: Film: very good; Sound: good; Picture: good; Extras: good