Schiller

July 9, 2014, 7:30 PM. The symphony orchestra is tuned, and the sound pioneer amidst the electronics is dressed in black. Nothing should distract from immersing oneself in his musical world, in the world of SCHILLER. This evening, it will be re-experienced in an extraordinary atmosphere, at a special location, and under unique conditions. The tension on stage and in the audience is palpable. A dress rehearsal was boldly foregone. The uniqueness of the connection between electronic soundscapes and symphonic sounds is meant to be structured, yet experienced without pre-rehearsed detours or diversions. The courage to defy one's own reason pays off immediately. Like a widescreen musical film from which one cannot escape, the musicians allow their collective sound body to be admired. SYMPHONIA, the recording of the concert, reflects in its title the grand, epic, and many fine-motor moments of the performance, the symphonic and the electronic. Both stimulating and relaxing, SYMPHONIA is rich in detail. Melodic sequences interlock, expand, and reveal new nuances in SCHILLER's familiar sound language. SYMPHONIA is the most extraordinary live recording in SCHILLER's successful history and a full immersion in energy and devotion. As the ultimate inventory of the first 15 SCHILLER years, the album provides an overview of everything that has happened so far. Delicate miniatures like "Solveig's Song" stand equally alongside opulently designed classics such as "Ruhe," "Sehnsucht," and "Tiefblau"; these typical, epic instrumental compositions underscore SCHILLER's fascination with melodic richness. They complement each other in new arrangements with hits from SCHILLER's diverse repertoire. Great guest singers with powerful voices traveled to Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt for their reinterpretation. Ultravox founder and Live Aid co-initiator Midge Ure shines in "Let It Rise" and surprises with the newly arranged SCHILLER version of his world hit "Vienna." Der Graf von Unheilig enthralls as the master of ceremonies in the live debut of the title track from the 2012 SCHILLER album "Sonne." With captivating presence, soprano Eva Mali sets warm, soft vocal accents in the SCHILLER hit "Ein schöner Tag," which is heard with vocals on SYMPHONIA for the first time in twelve years. "Das Glockenspiel," with which the impressive SCHILLER career began a decade and a half ago, closes the circle between past and present in a new version. SYMPHONIA allows selected SCHILLER pieces to be rediscovered live with a symphony orchestra and offers many premieres. The track "Hochland" is admired live for the first time, while "Berlin Berlin," the ode to the energies and vibrations at the setting of SYMPHONIA, celebrates its world premiere. The world premiere of the special symbiosis between electronic sound ideals and symphonic sounds is an expansion of SCHILLER's musical vocabulary. Artfully staged counterpoints, richness of detail, and rhythmic and melodic complexity pave new ways for the urge for further sound expeditions with SYMPHONIA. The deep, emotional language of SCHILLER's sounds is omnipresent. But it constantly breaks out in exciting ways, seeking new connections and creating motifs full of beauty. SYMPHONIA – the passionate dialogue between electronica and symphonic sounds is the provisional culmination of SCHILLER's artistic work. Over the past 15 years, the project has gained immense prestige, supported by eight studio and five live albums. It is the constantly evolving creative characteristic, always seeking new musical expressions, that has made SCHILLER synonymous with great musical experiences. SCHILLER's creative cosmos, where quality has always mattered more than quantity, has made the project an indispensable entity in the music scene for countless music lovers. SCHILLER's many great musical moments culminate on SYMPHONIA in both monumental and delicate intensities. Surrounded by small, sparkling timbres, SYMPHONIA, with its symphonic-electronic presence, stands for the boundless musical understanding of the curious musical traveler and SCHILLER's head, Christopher von Deylen. And the journey continues…