S'NIX TOUR 2008-09
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Aurolzmünster - 10th July 2009
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Aurolzmünster - 10th July 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Aurolzmünster - 10th July 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Aurolzmünster - 10th July 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Aurolzmünster - 10th July 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Aurolzmünster - 10th July 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Aurolzmünster - 10th July 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Aurolzmünster - 10th July 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Aurolzmünster - 10th July 2009
Photo: © Elli ChristlAlpine rock at the Marktplatz
Hubert von Goisern rocks in Bodenmais on his S'Nix Tour
Bodenmais. There were happy faces after Hubert von Goisern's show in Bodenmais. The artist looked happy with the audience, who cheered him and his musicians during the encores. The visitors were happy too, because Hubert von Goisern thrilled the spectators. There were happy faces for the organisers too. For one thing Petrus smiled on them and even sent down sunbeams at the start of the concert and for the other, ticket sales at the box office went better than expected.
Long queues had formed at the entrance, the Marktplatz quickly filled and there were ultimately about 2000 people to be found in the town centre of Bodenmais. Shortly after 8pm the time came, the musicians took their places and made a furioso start. But Goisern wouldn't be Goisern if he only played music, he has a message. With charm and in Austrian dialect he talked about how he was happy to have come to Bodenmais, told stories of his boat tour from the year before, when he and his band travelled the Danube and Rhine. "I am a European", says von Goisern and tells of his experiences in south east Europe. Fear of each other is the common denominator between nations, everyone wants the same thing: food, a roof over their head, to live in peace and to "have a party now and then", that's what everyone has in common in his view. And so on Saturday evening in Bodenmais an alpine rock party was celebrated.
Von Goisern and his musicians were in great spirits, playing not just slickly, but with visible joy. Goisern always earned an especially large round of applause when his songs didn't just rock, but served folk music. When the accordion came into use and the fiddles played. Goisern showed why he is regarded as one of the founding fathers of alpine rock.
And he doesn't just serve folk music along the way. His version of the Janis Joplin song Mercedes Benz, for which he had already received great praise in the studio version really let the sparks fly once and for all. The audience sang along with great enthusiasm. As Goisern and his band bowed and said goodbye just after 10pm, they were cheered by the audience. "Encore, encore", came the calls and Hubert von Goisern did not leave them pleading long.
During the encores he really let things crash once more and the spectators celebrated right along with them, because von Goisern finally sang the song for which many had been waiting. Hiatamadl, with which he found fame, whose lyrics everybody seemed to know, was once more a guarantee of a great atmosphere. The finale was contemplative as Goisern sang "Heast as nit, wia die Zeit vergeht" and so said goodbye to the spectators, who, despite the cool temperatures had celebrated an alpine rock party with von Goisern until past 10.30pm at the Marktplatz in Bodenmais.
Gentle giant rocks with wild young ones
2000 fans thrilled by Hubert von Goisern and his band
Bodenmais. This nothingness that the Austrian folk music punk Hubert von Goisern needs in order to develop new ideas must have been powerful. It gave his current tour that has led him since April through Austria, Germany and Switzerland the somewhat cryptic name: S'Nix. On stage this nothingness is discharged in hard rock, pop, soul, jazz and folk music. The 56 year old musical all-rounder seems at times like a gentle giant, then at others, like his young musicians and singers, like an exuberant wild man. This mixture delighted the 2000 spectators at the open air concert in the Bodenmais Marktplatz on Saturday. Despite cold feet and numb hands in temperatures barely above ten degrees, they only let the Goisern troupe go into the bank holiday evening after many encores.
Their programme is intense, luxurious, powerful, having its roots in the experimental Linz-Danube tour. For two years HvG travelled on a converted ballast transporter to the Black Sea and North Sea. This Hubert Achleitner from Bad Goisern is still drawing on the energy, lust for playing and desire for encounters from this time today. The young troupe he has gathered around him also enriches the globetrotter. Just the kickoff song Showtime alone sets the tempo of the evening - amplifiers on, full power out. It's soon clear: the three singers from South Tyrol in their alternative girlie dirndl skirts are by no means just attractive decoration - Maria Moling, Marlene and Elisabeth Schuen have it in them, both vocally and instrumentally. The male part of the accompanying band also has the opportunity to score solo with the Bodenmais audience. And David Lackner on keyboard, Alex Pohn on drums, Helmut Schartlmüller on bass and guitarist Severin Trogbacher know how to use that professionally. Nonetheless the musical threads come together with the master. The one in the bright red jacket signals: the music plays here!
The world musician, the eternal traveller lets the listeners share in his understanding of musical and human openness - for example when he campaigns for a tolerant Europe. HvG encourages the two thousand people in the Marktplatz to sing along. "You did that beautifully!" the master praises his audience in Bodenmais. There is a gentle giant in this wild folk music punk too.
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Maxlrain - 26th June 2009
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Maxlrain - 26th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Maxlrain - 26th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Maxlrain - 26th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Maxlrain - 26th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Maxlrain - 26th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Maxlrain - 26th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Maxlrain - 26th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Maxlrain - 26th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Maxlrain - 26th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Maxlrain - 26th June 2009
Photo: © Elli ChristlHubert von Goisern breaks taboo: "Hiatamadl" as encore...
Hubert von Goisern screams in one song to about 4500 spectators: "I want to live ...". Then with a look to the heavens makes a sign of the a cross.
No, it's not a quick prayer, not a request that the low-lying storm clouds holds their gates closed until the end of the concert at the Maxlrain Summer Night Open Air. Because at the same time the fantastic seven member band around the subversive world musician from Austria quote a hit from pop icon Michael Jackson who died the same day - a final greeting so to speak from colleague to colleague. There are continual connections to the "King of Pop", because for a good two and a half hours grooving rock dominates the programme, borrowing from funk too. Musically the "alpine rocker" lets in elements of jazz, reggae, soul and rock 'n' roll, but in his quotations does not deny his alpine roots. His lyrics are habitually profound and thoughtful. And then there is the classic Hubert von Goisern. With the last half hour he treats himself and the audience to a reminiscence of his big hits - and in doing so breaks his self-imposed taboo: with great abandon he presents Hiatamadl as one of his last encores. And then the heavens open - but fortunately not until five minutes after the concert has ended. Thank you, Michael, sometimes a quick prayer does help...
Hubert von Goisern: Between snow-covered alps and the steppes of Africa
The Austrian alpine rocker Hubert von Goisern exudes calm at Burg Wertheim - Rain only at the start of the concert
Right at the first notes came the rain. But as Hubert von Goisern sings: "Rain comes, rain goes, no-one knows and no-one understands." And so it was at his guest appearance at Burg Wertheim: after a scant half hour the weatherproof audience were able to put down the hoods of their rain coats once more and enjoy another two hours of a rain-free open air concert in the fairytale ambience of the castle ruins. "With the weather, it's like with love," explains von Goisern: you have to take it as it comes. Hubert von Goisern and his young band are on their S'Nix tour through Germany and Austria. Their music is a mixture of the "alpine rock" with which von Goisern became famous and musical influences from all over the world. The Upper Austrian has travelled a lot in his life, living in Africa and the Philippines among other places - and has always brought music and ideas home with him into the studio.
That is also evident at the concert with the many instruments that crowd on stage: the palette reaching from the violin to the rainmaker, from the African rattle to the gong. And even when Hubert von Goisern yodels the listener's inner eye can't decide whether it sees snow-covered mountains or an African steppe, so ambivalent does it sound.
It doesn't matter anyway, because "people yodel everywhere", says von Goisern: in Lappland, Texas, the South Sea and in West Africa, where after Goisern's explanation they go coursing, yodelling. But the the 56 year old doesn't just yodel: alternately, or even at the same time, he plays trumpet, flugelhorn, accordion, guitar, harmonica - and sings and tells stories in deepest Upper Austrian dialect.
In the past two years von Goisern has been on tour with a very slow cargo ship - and has taken this deceleration with him onto the stage: the musician exudes repose and calm, takes time telling his stories and also holds back at times to give his young singers and musicians the opportunity to stand centre stage. At the end of the more than two and a half hour long concert, the focus of which lies in the songs of the S'Nix album, von Goisern delights his fans with old hits like Weit, weit weg and is thrilled with how the audience has "grooved" along with them. "It's simply ...", he says - and blows a kiss into the audience.
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Munich - 24th - 25th June 2009
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Munich - 24th - 25th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Munich - 24th - 25th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Munich - 24th - 25th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Munich - 24th - 25th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Munich - 24th - 25th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Munich - 24th - 25th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Munich - 24th - 25th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Munich - 24th - 25th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Munich - 24th - 25th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Munich - 24th - 25th June 2009
Photo: © Elli ChristlMulti-instrumentalist Hubert von Goisern at Tollwood
He can do it all: alpine rock, punk and reggae -
the multi-instrumentalist Hubert von Goisern shows his audience at his
Tollwood concert the diversity of music
The later the hour, the earthier the music. The accordion teases the chamois; and behind the rocky electric guitar alpine roses bloom. Just the way the fans love it. But it has long been clear that the regency over the kingdom of alpine rock is no longer enough for Hubert von Goisern and that he therefore has his feelers out in every possible direction.
Not always an easy undertaking, as could be seen at the two sold-out Tollwood concerts. The brass cracks so funkily in the eternal length of the separation epic Auseinandertreiben, there's wild chanting and almost punk tradition-style calling and shouting in Herschaun; and there is also room for wonderful meditative world music impressions with Fön, which furthermore afford the luxury of jazz elements too.
Hubert von Goisern himself is singer and multi-instrumentalist on the guitar, accordion and trumpet, accompanied by a young band keen to experiment and embellished with three Ladin singers, who can offer everything between grand opera and romantic alpine yodels, making the adventure even more adventurous.
Certainly a high point of the programme for many: an unbelievable version of Mercedes Benz, slickly presented as a minimal reggae, but somewhat more self-indulgent in terms of wishes. Because while at one time Janis Joplin only asked God for a Mercedes and a colour TV, Hubert von Goisern wants a halo and eternal life as well. Nothing more than that.
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Benediktbeuern - 21st June 2009
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Benediktbeuern - 21st June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Benediktbeuern - 21st June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Benediktbeuern - 21st June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Benediktbeuern - 21st June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Benediktbeuern - 21st June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Benediktbeuern - 21st June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Benediktbeuern - 21st June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Benediktbeuern - 21st June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Benediktbeuern - 21st June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Benediktbeuern - 21st June 2009
Photo: © Elli ChristlFull throttle for three hours
Hubert von Goisern makes a stop on his "S'nix Tour" in Abenberg
ABENBERG
- No, you really can't call him lazy. After Hubert von Goisern spent
the last two and a half years on a river ferry converted into a "concert
barge" painting the Danube red all the way down to the Black Sea
(and made a stop in Heuberg last September), he recorded a new album
and is now on the next tour. The S'nix tour,
"nothingness" being the name of the album, also led him to
Abenberg, where in the shadow of the castle - to give this much away
- he gave an excellent concert.
While swifts glide through the falling darkness above the stage that is decorated with a huge dragon, Goisern opens the concert with his seven comrades-in-arms. The first song Solide Alm, which he always plays at the beginning of his concerts, still has completely alpine flair. In contrast the next songs prove to be almost as psychedelic as the artist's brightly coloured trousers. Fantastic tapestries of sound are laid across the castle ruins, following a crazy, but precisely coordinated concept.
Rocky and experimental
The current album S'nix has turned out rockier and more experimental than one is used to even from Hubert von Goisern. A number of the older spectators are likely somewhat overchallenged by these orgies of sound. As Goisern takes things down a gear and begins the very down-to-earth, but beautiful ballad Weit, weit weg, an older female spectator turns happily to her husband: "These songs are why we came."
And it is not the only classic from the Austrian who became famous as an "alpine rocker", so everybody gets their money's worth. But fortunately Goisern has not stood still in his musical development and has constantly refined his style during his more than 20 year long career. But above all he and his unbelievably good musicians form a solid entity together. The time they spent together on the barge seems to have melded the colourful bunch together not just musically, but interpersonally too.
Psychedelic hypnosis
There
is practically no musical style that Goisern leaves out. Oriental sounds
interchange with Spanish rhythms, then things get really psychedelic
again in the best Pink Floyd manner, in such
a way that as a spectator you feel downright hypnotised. The energy-laden
stage show from the wonderfully good-humoured musicians, as well as the
lightshow that is exactly in tune with the music make their contributions
too. And of course Goisern has one or two funny stories to tell: like
the one about his former Brazilian bass player, who, when they last played
in Abenberg, swore that he saw a UFO above Abenberg castle. "So
watch out for your neighbour, in case they speak some funny old dialect," Goisern
warns of possible aliens.
But known to be an idealist Hubert von Goisern also has some thoughtful words to share, although without waving a moralistic finger. "When the sun now sets here, it is rising somewhere else. Nothing that happens elsewhere is of no concern to us. Everything happens at the same time in our so closely-woven world", Goisern philosophises in the growing twilight, before he begins another of his ballads.
Hubert von Goisern does nothing by halves: without an interval he pulls off an almost three-hour-long fascinating, rousing programme. During the last half hour, in which there is a torrent of ever rockier encores, nobody can remain in their seat any longer.
Creative chaos
Wild scenes play out in the shadow of the castle: the three background singers Marlene and Elisabeth Schuen and Maria Moling rush across stage playing the violin, guitarist Severin Trogbacher bounces like a rubber ball, while keyboarder David Lackner elicits Raumpatrouille Orion sounds from his instrument. And right at the centre of the controlled chaos, with a pink top and colourful trousers, Hubert von Goisern, who after three hours at full throttle is barely showing any signs of tiring either.
"That was great!", Goisern calls goodbye to his audience and takes the words right out of the mouths of the Burgfestival visitors, whose hands are raw from clapping.
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Bamberg - 19th June 2009
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Bamberg - 19th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Bamberg - 19th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Bamberg - 19th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Bamberg - 19th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Bamberg - 19th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Bamberg - 19th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Bamberg - 19th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Bamberg - 19th June 2009
Photo: © Elli ChristlRocking with the accordion
Hubert von Goisern in Abenberg
Glow worms, lighting up between the bushes, gyrating junebugs in the air, swifts as fast as an arrow above the castle - but no UFO. Hubert von Goisern will have to change his assessment of concerts at Burg Abenberg: "Whenever we've played here, the UFO was always there," he reported and recommended keeping a close eye on the sky. The band was only playing for the second time in the shadow of the defiant ruins, and the former bass player, who was the only eyewitness to the spacecraft is now in Brazil.
The missing encounter of the third kind is easily overcome as the former Alpinkatzen boss and his current troupe of musicians serves up a good three-hour, cheerful and rousing concert, in which all the sides of this alpine musical chameleon really come into their own.
Although at the start he comes on stage with his familiar accordion, the first part stands clearly under the sign of rock music: drive by power guitarist Severin Trogbacher the band really get going with the current material of the album S'Nix. For the serious fans of "young Hubert" a yodel or a solemn instrumental passage only springs out now and then. You almost believe that a completely different band is on stage, but the handwriting of the rough-edged multi-instrumentalist is recognisable time and again.
He also shows himself to have good intuition as far as his current choice of musicians is concerned: they all radiated stage presence and passion and walk confidently along the different style paths. That goes in particular for Marlene Schuen, Elisabeth Schuen and Maria Moling, who provide a real highlight with percussion, violin and vocals.
"We'll say now that that's the end," the boss concludes after two hours. But in reality he only wants to get the seated audience on their feet, which he succeeds in doing. Extensive encores follow with "Goisern classics" liked Weit, weit weg, Heast es nit and Schleininger. Only the call for Hiatamadl does Hubert deny. You don't have to dig up all the old tricks when you have such good ideas as an alpine version of Janis Joplin's Mercedes Benz. For anyone who has now developed a taste for this, I recommend the "Goiserer's" show tonight at 8pm at the Domplatz in Bamberg.
Thunderous applause for Hubert von Goisern
Sold-out arena - fantastic concert atmosphere
St. Margarethen, 14th June. At the opening weekend for the St. Margarethen Opera Festival there was rock music and yodelling at the sold out open air arena! With the most beautiful summer weather Hubert von Goisern played with his band in front of 4700 fans and delighted the St. Margarethen audience with new songs and familiar old hits. The best concert atmosphere could be felt as soon as the first numbers were played. No matter whether it's rock, pop, soul, jazz or folk music - everything is possible with Goisern. He ingeniously conquers all borders between numerous different musical styles.
Organiser Wolfgang Werner was thrilled too: "I'm delighted that we have been able to get Hubert von Goisern for the 'Römersteinbruch exklusiv' series. As far as I'm concerned he's one of the absolute greats of the Austrian music scene. Moreover, I think Goisern and his music fit simply very well in this rocky landscape. It's harmonious!"
Hubert von Goisern succeeded in the best sense in musically conquering Römersteinbruch. He rocked through apocalyptic abysses and gave melancholy voice to hope. The "founder of alpine rock" thrilled the audience in St. Margarethen as a "musician with heart and soul". In the process Goisern and his band spanned the arc from songs such as Mercedes Benz and Auseinandertreiben to Juchitzer and Liab. The musical high-altitude flight was received by the audience with prolonged thunderous applause!
Hubert von Goisern: Live in St. Margarethen - 13th June 2009
More photos at www.pyp.at
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Weiz - 12th June 2009
"Hubert, Hubert" choruses called well into the night. Hubert von Goisern was there and started his Austria tour with a S'Nix open air concert in Weiz.
The shivering soon came to an end, as on the cold late spring evening Hubert von Goisern fired up the more than one thousand fans with complete abandon, with his inimitable voice, with his accordion or trumpet. He had the virtuoso accompaniment of a full, powerful sound from his young band with David Lackner (keys), Maria Moling (percussion, voc), Alex Pohn (drums), Helmut Schartlmüller (bass), Elisabeth Schuen (violin, voc), Marlene Schuen (violin, voc) and Severin Trogbacher (guit).
Goisern told stories of his ship tour, presented the newest songs from the brand new double album Haut und Haar, challenged the audience to sing along, who then in turn successfully demanded numerous encores.
The finest alpine rock despite a cloudburst
At the opening of the Matzener Sommer Hubert von Goisern enchants more than 1000 enthusiastic fans
Brixlegg.
Pouring rain, mud and cold offer anything but a comfortable concert on
a warm summer's night at the opening of the Matzener Summer. But this
did not keep the 1000 or so fans from listening to the sounds of Hubert
von Goisern and undertaking a musical world journey with the father of
alpine rock.
For two and a half hours the globetrotter cast a spell with his familiar mixture of rock, traditional folk music and celestial sounds. Despite the loud, clattering rain that fell on the enormous tent roof, the seven-piece band accompanying the star served up the best acoustics with jazzy sounds, a variety of instruments and songs with depth. The spectators showed their gratitude with standing ovations and frenetic applause. All in all it was a more than successful start to the Matzener Sommer 2009.
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Reith im Alpbachtal - 6th June 2009
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Reith im Alpbachtal - 6th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Reith im Alpbachtal - 6th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Reith im Alpbachtal - 6th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Reith im Alpbachtal - 6th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Reith im Alpbachtal - 6th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Reith im Alpbachtal - 6th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Reith im Alpbachtal - 6th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Reith im Alpbachtal - 6th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Reith im Alpbachtal - 6th June 2009
Photo: © Elli Christl
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Reith im Alpbachtal - 6th June 2009
Photo: © Elli ChristlAfter the concert is before the concert
A peculiar merry-melancholy humming, singing and whistling accompanies the procession that leads along the forest path from Burg Wilhelmstein to Würselen town centre. The scenery is reminiscent of the Swedish film As in Heaven by Kay Pollak: each individual sung note of a choir, each scrap of melody swells by virtue of the group to a brilliant heavenly music tone as a complete work of art, letting us surmise that we are more than simply the sum of our parts: "Can't you hear, how the time flies ..."
Back to the beginning: At the beginning was ... Nothingness. The Austrian musician Hubert von Goisern described his new album title as "the waiting for the moment in which thoughts and ideas become songs". The result of this process of silence and supposed emptiness was to be seen and heard on Monday on the open air stage at Burg Wilhelmstein in Würselen.
The audience is appropriately sorted with the first song Showtime - the wild young band pushes full steam ahead, having found a confident, solid playing basis together on the past journey by ship that took them upstream and downstream (Linz-Europe-Tour 2007-2009).
Plop! The first champagne cork is let off in the audience - as an answer to the loud, demanding song Leben. So much hedonism, expressed in the picnic baskets and popping champagne corks seems to surprise HvG, but shows how much joie de vivre his music can unleash in times of the economic crisis. "You're the western spearhead of German hope," he good-humouredly ennobled his fans.
For a good two and a half hours HvG and his combo intoxicate the Würselen audience and offer a brightly mixed sparkling cocktail of rock 'n' roll, blues, ballads and traditional songs from his homeland - the Austrian Salzkammergut.
What begins full of storm and drive is superseded after a while by thoughtful, quiet sounds, considered by the audience with an urgent - almost hypnotised - listening. The reverberation of the last note is often attentively awaited, nothingness is given room - listened to, until a warm, honest applause follows like a warm summer rain.
In order to remove the audience's aversion to yodelling, the songwriter from Bad Goisern returns to his yodelling roots and tells of the primitive people in the primeval forests, who when hunting would form an ever tightening circle around the game, making themselves understood to each other and leaving the animal an "emergency exit", in case it didn't feel ready to end up as dinner on a plate. Nice idea. Then everyone at the castle courageously yodels along to Wann I Durchgeh Durch's Tal, leaving the singer visibly impressed - thumbs up!
The down-to-earth wooden stage boards are today a stark contrast to the Linz Europe ship tour 2007-2009. This change of elements - from water to earth - is symptomatic of Hubert von Goisern's life and musical style, which can be located on an emotional scale of "heavenly rejoicing" through "stoical composure" to "cast down to death".
Around half of the programme on this evening is made up of songs from S'Nix and to the joy of the audience pieces also flow in from not just past tour, projects and albums such as Iwasig, Fön and Trad, but the Alpinkatzen time is also redressed - tailored of course to the band - and brought back to life.
During the quieter pieces in particular the delicate fine-tuning of volume and tone quality is outstanding for the singing as well as the instruments, no matter whether violin, flugelhorn, accordion, drums, percussion, bass or guitar.
Severin Trogbacher's slide guitar solo in the Alpinkatzen classic Weit, Weit Weg is reminiscent of celestial Pink Floyd guitar effusions, inviting you to let yourself dream.
The vocal highlight from the three south Tyrolean girls Maria Moling, Elisabeth and Marlene Schuen is, aside from the slick harmonies, the accurately sung Juchizer from Maria Moling, as well as the eerily beautifully intoned multi-voiced jazz interludes from the three ladies. Thus in the slow motion offbeat version of Mercedes Benz an almost devilish Southern states gospel sound is evoked that must have arisen from a witch's cauldron, as HvG asks the dear Lord in all modesty for "eternal life".
With the ship sound of the Düsseldorf concert in 08 and the S'Nix CD still in my ears, I think here and there a little wistfully of the hoarse sound of Darinka Tsekova's gadulka and the part sung by Xavier Naidoo in the song Siagst as. However in their place come a beautifully played tapestry of sound of alienated synth effects, percussion and flugelhorn or the accordion, completely reconciling me with the musically executed metamorphosis.
HvG has come to the point "where I've broken clear of the demand that my regionality must be detectable in the music - and from the demand that I have to satisfy everybody". He exceeds the curfew this evening with his diverse programme and turns to the organiser with the well-meaning advice to let future concerts start half an hour earlier. After a generous encore the evening is brought to a close with the familiar and favourite ballad Heast as net. As if following a secret sign the women in the audience cuddle up to their respective husbands and oblige a collective cuddling, singing and swaying to the music - resistance is futile, or rather nonexistent. Long, emotional farewell applause, the packing up of picnic baskets and folding chairs and the departure of the audience from the castle, whereby we're back at the start: "Can't you hear how the time flies ..." is hummed and whistled, inspired and content through the summer evening sky.
The fulfilment of a musician's dream - casting a spell over an audience with a concert. It doesn't get better than that.