CD-Tipp der mare Redaktion
In der mare Ausgabe 65 erschien folgende CD-Besprechung zu Moby Dick:
Wortklangbild
Literaturvertonungen sind oft betrachtet mit einem Anspruch, der den Text überfordert, oder ihre Musik reicht nicht an die Größe des Werkes.
Diese hier kennt keine Höhenangst:
The Sea Change, die Hamburger Songwriter Sven Gordon Williams und Ralf Walter Marquardt, luden den New Yorker Trompetenvirtuosen Lew Soloff zu Sessions, in denen sie mit atmosphärischen, evokativen Kompositionen Szenen von Melvilles Jahrhundertroman erzählten.
Der Mut hat gelohnt.
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History & Discography
1990 Ralf & Sven first met on a new years eve party.
Their songwriting co-operation started in spring
1991 - 1999 The Sea Change was founded in 1997.
Their first album „The Sea Change 1" was recorded in 1998.
On a trip through Scotland they produced their first video for the song „All the time“.
2000 Their second album „Journey to the Moon“.
2002 Their third album „The Letter“ based on the novel "The Catastrophist" by Ronan Bennett
2004 They founded their own production company MWM™ and their own label - ISM™ - i sea music™ - LC 13826
2006 The present Album “Moby Dick - featuring Lew Soloff - Songs & Paintings”.
Concept
Music & Literature > Multi Media
The name The Sea Change was taken from the title of a short story by Ernest Hemingway.
"The sea is not only the source of life itself and therefore - naturally - the origin of all music, it is elementary to us. Whoever for once has been sitting at a beach, looking at the horizon and listening to the waves, certainly understands. The sea has a hypnotic and somehow cleanse effect. It is the place, where we can find peace and strength".
Early in their co-operation The Sea Change had started to work on a fusion of music and literature. It began with the opening lyrics “Western breeze” on their first album - 1 - (based on the novel Lady of the Lake, 1810 by Sir Walter Scott), and went on with “The Sound” (based on a poem by Julian Schnabel) which one can find on the second album - Journey to the Moon. “The Letter” was the third album and the first based on a novel (The Catastrophist, by Ronan Bennett). The present project catches up with a classic peace of american literature - Moby Dick - by Herman Melville. For this production Sven also got back to his artistic roots and put the songs into paint.
The compositions are timeless, original but still catchy. Once you started, you tent to listen through the whole album. Photography, video and other forms of art are indispensable parts of The Sea Change projects.
"Songwriting is a literary pursuit"
Sting
1990 Ralf & Sven first met on a new years eve party.
Their songwriting co-operation started in spring
1991 - 1999 The Sea Change was founded in 1997.
Their first album „The Sea Change 1" was recorded in 1998.
On a trip through Scotland they produced their first video for the song „All the time“.
2000 Their second album „Journey to the Moon“.
2002 Their third album „The Letter“ based on the novel "The Catastrophist" by Ronan Bennett
2004 They founded their own production company MWM™ and their own label - ISM™ - i sea music™ - LC 13826
2006 The present Album “Moby Dick - featuring Lew Soloff - Songs & Paintings”.
Concept
Music & Literature > Multi Media
The name The Sea Change was taken from the title of a short story by Ernest Hemingway.
"The sea is not only the source of life itself and therefore - naturally - the origin of all music, it is elementary to us. Whoever for once has been sitting at a beach, looking at the horizon and listening to the waves, certainly understands. The sea has a hypnotic and somehow cleanse effect. It is the place, where we can find peace and strength".
Early in their co-operation The Sea Change had started to work on a fusion of music and literature. It began with the opening lyrics “Western breeze” on their first album - 1 - (based on the novel Lady of the Lake, 1810 by Sir Walter Scott), and went on with “The Sound” (based on a poem by Julian Schnabel) which one can find on the second album - Journey to the Moon. “The Letter” was the third album and the first based on a novel (The Catastrophist, by Ronan Bennett). The present project catches up with a classic peace of american literature - Moby Dick - by Herman Melville. For this production Sven also got back to his artistic roots and put the songs into paint.
The compositions are timeless, original but still catchy. Once you started, you tent to listen through the whole album. Photography, video and other forms of art are indispensable parts of The Sea Change projects.
"Songwriting is a literary pursuit"
Sting
... see more
Description
The album is based on the novel “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville.
The book was published in 1851 and became one of the most important novels of American literature.
However, it’s much more than just a 150 year old masterpiece. The story is open to many interpretations.
It can be read as a thrilling sea story or an examination of the conflict between man and nature. Depending on the point of view and with changing political atmosphere - Ahab can be seen as a Promethean hero or a forefather of the twentieth-century totalitarian dictators.
Although we worked ourselves along the many other interesting aspects and wonderful moments of the story, it was this last point of view, that interested us most. Captain Ahab is the archetype of a despot. The kind, that haunts like ghost through the history of mankind.
Just like all megalomaniacs, Ahab retains the mastery of his crew through a mixture of charisma, the generalization of his foe into the evil itself and by the temptation of a golden reward.
Maybe nowadays it is sometimes a little more difficult to decide what’s right or wrong because the world has become much more complicated than it used to be in 1851. However, in the end we will all have to ask ourselves just like John Huston already did:
“Who is the monster, Ahab or the Whale?
The book was published in 1851 and became one of the most important novels of American literature.
However, it’s much more than just a 150 year old masterpiece. The story is open to many interpretations.
It can be read as a thrilling sea story or an examination of the conflict between man and nature. Depending on the point of view and with changing political atmosphere - Ahab can be seen as a Promethean hero or a forefather of the twentieth-century totalitarian dictators.
Although we worked ourselves along the many other interesting aspects and wonderful moments of the story, it was this last point of view, that interested us most. Captain Ahab is the archetype of a despot. The kind, that haunts like ghost through the history of mankind.
Just like all megalomaniacs, Ahab retains the mastery of his crew through a mixture of charisma, the generalization of his foe into the evil itself and by the temptation of a golden reward.
Maybe nowadays it is sometimes a little more difficult to decide what’s right or wrong because the world has become much more complicated than it used to be in 1851. However, in the end we will all have to ask ourselves just like John Huston already did:
“Who is the monster, Ahab or the Whale?
Songs in this playlist
Playlist information
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| Permalink | http://sutros.com/playlists/90 |
| Created | 10 Apr 2009 |
