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BRUTAL RESONANCE |
MAJDANEK WALTZ / SAL
SOLARIS –“ Tenebrae”
There are few pages in the
world’s history that everyone would like to forget , but which
is needed to be in the memory of each and every person. One of
them is World War 2, one of the greatest wars in the history of
mankind. Millions of souls were eliminated, millions of
destinies mixed into one huge cocktail. Those that survived
those crazy times always keep in their mind the vision that
stays with them for the rest of their lives.
The expressions of this brutal and ugly war can be seen in
different projections of human creations, and poetry was not
left behind of course . One of the best lyrical poets of
post-war Europe is the offspring of a German speaking Jewish
family, Paul Celan. That man, whose best years were spent under
the shadow of Nazi excruciation, survived the holocaust and
after the war ended, tried to put his thoughts into words which
could open up the world, at least a little bit, to all the
suffering and pain from the darkest years of mankind.
The words of Paul were taken as the concept for the mutual
project of two Russian based collectives, Sal Solaris and
Majdanek Walz. The poetry on this album is a solid statement of
existence and the will for life. The music is thoroughly crafted
by the partnership and is the background guide for the soul’s
scream.
Five tracks that can upend the inner world, deeply touching the
strings of emotions. The drones pulsate, verifying each word and
explodes the night with the sparks of piano and violin. The
endless ruins covered with dust and ashes, rise as the
eyewitnesses of the misplaced epoch. This is not the album for a
background listening during the everyday life. It demands the
full concentration in order to absorb all the messages. Every
sound, every sample, every melody has it’s own meaning and to
express poetry as much as possible. Full of deprivation and
melancholy .
I'm not the biggest fan of neo-folk albums, but here it is
totally harmonic with the music. Two musical formations show the
highest level of cooperation, during which they supplement each
other in order to achieve their common goal, and to try not
stand in the way of the overall feeling. Great work, worthy of
the words that they try to immortalize. Pity, that those of you
that don't understand Russian will not be able to perceive by
listening all the depth of this piece of art, as all the lyrics
are translated into Russian.
Definitely a must for everyone in search for intellectual music.
Review by
Andrew
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Culture is not
your friend! |
MAJDANEK WALTZ / SAL SOLARIS –“
Tenebrae”
Zhelezobeton records
bring an interesting joint effort by Majdanek Waltz and Sal
Solaris, in a very good looking album. The first thing I realize
upon listening to this album is that “Tenebrae” is distinctive
and cannot be completely identified with the music of either
project. This fortunate situation creates a genuine work that
speaks for itself rather than for its creators. The second thing
I notice is that I need to give it at least couple more plays
before finally being able to understand it completely, like many
other amorphous music albums.
Unfortunately, mankind has a huge, ever growing bloody library
of historical atrocities to think about, and many of these
atrocities are piled up in the World War II era. “Tenebrae” is
an album about post WWII poet Paul Celan, who had his Jewish
family taken to die in Nazi camps, while he himself was serving
as labor force for the Germans until 44. Those unfamiliar with
his post war works can easily imagine their nature, and,
Centered on this story, Tenebrae does hold within itself the
shattered, confused and torn apart agony that followed the
devastating aftermath of the Great War.
Although I cannot understand a word from what is being read
throughout the album, the presence of these words is powerful
and total, and it pierces the music with a cut of solemn
certainty throughout the bleak atmospheric sounds. When we are
left without the spoken words to guide us through the album, the
music is far from being unsatisfying by itself. The atmosphere
is heavy, almost too heavy, with outbreaks of distant pianos or
obscure clarinet sounds. Although at certain times on the album
you can hear the music being developed, as the musicians of both
projects seem to explore their surroundings and bring life to
the depressing darkness that dominates the tracks, the overall
notion of the album is that of despair and loneliness, making
every such encounter with a new instrument (like a violin on
track 4) an exciting event, like a sudden meeting of another
human being in the dark, deserted and forlorn streets.
With or without the historic and cultural context, Tenebrae
offers a lot for the ears and for the mind, stirring up emotions
with dark sounds and challenging the listener with the
conceptual ideas behind it.
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Kuolleen musiikin yhdistys |
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MAJDANEK WALTZ / SAL SOLARIS –“
Tenebrae”
On
Tenebrae, Majdanek Waltz and Sal Solaris, who have already
worked together before, finally redeem the promises made by
their earlier material. It is drone ambient decorated with
separate organic instruments, such as piano and strings, and
with poetry-like speech segments. Style-wise, excluding a couple
of moments, it comes very close to Donis’ divine Alexandreia
(2007), even as it does not reach that level of perfection.
Tenebrae is beautiful in a cold kind of way, and at least for a
listener who does not understand Russian, it has something
distancingly powerful. It is af if one would observe sacred
ritual from afar, seeing just its beautiful structure, but
without understanding its meaning or true content. At least as
such, it works really well, particularly whenever either the
piano or the violin is in a prominent position. The
German-spoken parts of the ending track do work, too, and it has
a nice melody in it, but it does not reach the intensity of the
Russian-language parts,
Fine, emotional music where organic instruments, restrained use
of machines and good vocals join together into a beautiful
whole. This is the best I’ve heard from either of the bands,
together or separate.
Review by Jiituomas
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VITAL
WEEKLY |
MAJDANEK WALTZ / SAL SOLARIS
–“ Tenebrae”
With my mobile phone I
can make phone calls and send and receive text messages. The
world of 'apps' hasn't reached yet here, but I was thinking, and
perhaps it already exists, it would be nice to have an app when,
if you play music it would translate the lyrics from say Russian
to Dutch (or, if that's far fetched, English). That way I could
understand what the lyrics/poetry of the release 'Tenebrae' is
about. Or, perhaps, I could question why most of the text on the
cover is in Russian anyway. The project is by Majdanek Waltz and
Sal Solaris. According to the (English) press text the texts are
by Paul Celan. The music is curious mixture of dark electronics,
bit of field recordings and drones, all courtesy of Solaris and
Waltz provides with cello, violin, clarinet and piano. A
somewhat uneasy marriage of two ends with makes 'neither nor'
music. Neither neo-folk, nor ambient, but a curious blending of
both ends. I am not a particular lover of neo-folk-noir, and
this music is quite bleak at times, I thought it was also quite
a nice release. The reciting of the texts set against the highly
atmospheric, yet sometimes atonal drones and the melodic
interjections of the instruments. Not entirely my cup of tea,
this dark mass of music, but surely I can appreciate the
excellent production of the music; very well made.
Review by FdW
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HEATHEN HARVEST |
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This is a split release between Majdanek Waltz and Sal Solaris.
Inside a very well designed Digipack comes a nice split from
Majdanek waltz and Sal Solaris. I like the duality that can be
found in certain split albums and that's not as obvious as it
sounds. We have here two acts that give this album two
directions instead of just one, but at the same time these
directions should not be too far away from each other. On "
Himmel des Reichs / Der Himmel uber Berlin", this sort of
relationship is achieved and the final result shows a continuity
between the two sides of the sky (Himmel).
Majdanek Waltz begins this album with four tracks that first
appear very much in the neo-folk/Revival of post WWII
Romanticism tradition, with Russian speech that opens "Demokratie"
to the low sounds of dawning music. Martial drums and trumpets
with a surprising breakthrough add up to the nostalgic
atmosphere. But there are more elements in there that reminds of
spiritual front's "In.Will" for instance, as melodic and
relatively simple (not a bad thing at all!) music goes with a
straight monotonous singing. That is why "Wir" is a great song
by Majdanek waltz. "Die stadt" Begins with the same singing,
almost on the verge of speech, with a low hiss of lo tech and
distorted ambiance, which grows to massive proportions later on
the track and end the first half of the album with a sick,
distorted blast. Great ending to a very good split part, which
was actually released as a separate E.P back in 2006.
Sal Solaris begins a different phase of the album that continues
from where Majdanek waltz had left. A mix of nostalgic samples,
reversed and/or distorted loops and background noises open and
let in a rather beautiful – Opera or at least Opera-esque male
singing. This melody, dissected to hundreds of pieces and then
re-assembled, reminds of what Matt Elliot, A.K.A Third eye
foundation is doing to some tracks, especially ian tiersen's
music. Another phase in this track begins and Russian speech
bids us farewell over the remains of the music heard earlier.
Sal Solaris adds a more sinister approach to their music later
on and with twisted loops that shriek in pain, reminds parts of
Lustmord or Teatro Satanico. Things get more and more abstract
and destructive with the progress of Sal solaris towards the end
of the album Until the last track appropriately named "Start",
going on with crawling dark ambient and sinister metallic
whispers, fading to silence at the end of the album.
Beginning with Russian militant folk and ending with a blast and
a hiss, " Himmel des Reichs / Der Himmel uber berlin" offers a
wide array of music with a close up look on two interesting
bands. An interesting and rewarding album.
Review by Oren ben Yosef
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HEATHEN HARVEST
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Black Sun (translated from
Russian) is the first “official” full-length album by industrial/neofolk
apocalyptic poets Majdanek Waltz, originally available on CD-R,
and now released on CD by Strely Peruna productions in a special
limited edition including their first ever promotional video,
directed by friend and collaborator, Wolfsblood.
With regular live shows, these guys have been making quite a
name for themselves in the eastern dark music scene, and it’s a
damn shame they aren’t more widely known in the west due to
language barriers. It’s too bad, because this wonderfully
talented and unique band deserve much more recognition outside
their home front.
One contrast you may notice between this one and their other
output, specifically their Hamlet’s Childhood album, is that
this one’s much less folk-driven, and while that album was an
exercise in beautifully sad ballads casting a regretful glance
at a lost childhood, this one is a demonstration in darkness.
Quite so, the later releases drew on a lot of the best of
Current 93, folk and industrial eras, for inspiration, while
lacking the same amount of anarchic madness, over-the-top
theatrics, or cryptic Biblical/Crowleyan references.
Quite the contrary, as far as influences go, this one draws
power straight from the Blood Axis/Laibach school of thought, as
a disciple of a doomsday cult draws strength from his mentor’s
chosen ideology. This is definitely an industrial album, but one
that takes on a shape of it’s own. It borrows from folk and dark
ambient as it pleases, uses some martial rhythms if it suits the
purpose, but keeps on its own path, as it forges it’s own niche
in the mind of the civilian listener, as a stage for them to
present mankind’s epitaph, the final achievement of our modern
age.
In fact, this release just OOZES that “Russian sound”. It’s a
dark, tragic, and utterly oppressive atmosphere I rarely find in
bands from regions outside eastern Europe. It’s a sound,
difficult to describe, that reflects the utter tragedy of
mankind’s failures and catastrophes, while at the heart of it
all is an ever-continuing struggle for survival, and all the
ugliness of human conflict that comes with it. You can hear it
across the whole spectrum of Russian/Slavic music, be it the
“volk” metal of Temnozor or Arkona, the heartbreakingly twisted
dark ambient of Bardoseneticcube or Lucisferrato, the darkwave
of Altera Forma, Russian folk music, Russian composers, or the
martial execution music of this band.
Living in a country with a history always shadowed by constant
struggle and conflict such as Rus, it’s no wonder that spirit of
bitterness wouldn’t leave it’s mark on your artwork, and produce
some beautiful results in the process.
On to the music, there’s generally two kinds of songs, one being
the melodic, vocal driven pieces, which include instruments such
as acoustic guitar, violin, cello, and piano, and these are
separated by tracks of chaos which could be described as dark
ambient, like someone narrating events as they happen.
I should say this music would be more appealing to those who
speak Russian, but even if not, the mystique behind this unit
makes their grim aesthetic all the more pleasing. He really does
have an excellent grim voice, with his stern rolling tones,
commanding us to stand and fight in this age of decadence.
I don’t generally do track by track reviews, so I’ll summarize
the first half of the CD: The first song begins in such a manner,
a sad, weepy violin backed by folk instruments and backing
ambience, with some reverse effects, while the vocalist recites
his grim tale. The second track is one more step into darkness,
being slower and sadder, and more driven by acoustic guitar, and
a dark ambience that never completely leaves, as it ends with
only the violin and the haunting voices of ghosts leading us
into track three, a building ambient piece of tension and
despair, beginning with the sound of ghostly wind and building
on a slow deep cello melody before being interrupted by a sudden
piano line which comes in to lend its antiquarian accent of
loneliness.
The third song is an apocalyptic martial industrial piece of
funeral poetry in the vein of Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, the
verses being driven by a death march and repeated orchestral
sample, while the bridge is joined in by cinematic violins and a
broken robotic voice. The next song is a dive back into dark
ambience, building fear, reverse crashes and almost vocal noises,
a definite representation of the destruction and death that
serves as this CD’s grim undertone, here crashing through to the
surface.
The rest of the CD, I won’t give away, but it never let’s up in
its transitions between textures and shades, going from the
powerful, to the melancholic, to the epic, and back to the
eruptions of dark tense horror. A sample of Modest Mussorgsky
makes an appearance as well!
This CD is like reading a cynical poet’s epitaph to our modern
age. Some sensitive folk may not like the references to the
Swastika that crop up in one track, but what better symbol to
describe the turning of the age? The age of the Black Sun coming
to devour us all? Sensitive folk put off by something as small
as symbolic references are depriving themselves of loads of
great music! The bonus music video is an interesting montage of
slightly off-focus imagery, including life footage, and various
shots of children, forests, and underwater organisms, which is
done with some interesting camera techniques. Not essential, but
nice to see this band does do videos from time to time.
This CD has it’s obvious influences, but retains Majdanek Waltz’
distinctive oppressive quality and atmosphere, while there is
plenty of diversity to keep the listener on their toes as well.
Recommended for all fans of industrial music, dark folk, or dark/gothic
music in general. Oppressive and overshadowing as a Black Sun in
a white world.
Review by Loki Helvete
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GOTHRONIC |
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Although I have never heard of Majdanek Waltz before you might say
that they make intriguing music. Majdanek Waltz is a Russian
neo-folk project in which they lyrically use the poetry of the
poets Boris Poplavsky, Maximilian Voloshin and the German poet
Georg Heym. Despite the fact that all lyrics are in the Russian
tongue, which I do not understand, I can sense the deeper
atmosphere within. This means gloomy/melancholy neo-folk rooted
in classical European and musical traditions. Majdanek Waltz
uses acoustic guitars, violins, spoken word, piano and accordion
in order to make beautiful and slow passages. The contributions
of the accordion and piano especially see to it that the songs
have a more traditional flavour and enhance the melancholy on
this album.The spoken word on this album can be a little
redundant but nevertheless sees to it fits in the general
atmosphere of this album. Hamlet’s Childhood has become an
interesting album which should appeal to traditional neo-folk
fans around the globe.
Review by Erik
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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS
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Majdanek Waltz performs ethereal neofolk, akin to similar
artists such as Poets to Their Beloved and Medusa's Spell.
Unfortunately, they sing in their native Russian, which is a
pity as the lyrics are impenetrable to Anglophiles such as yours
truly, a definite liability when a band presumably has something
to say.
The
music is soft, feeling as substantial as the filaments of a
spider's web, weaving together strands from voice (near spoken
male and female) and an assortment of folk instruments to create
an enchanting album. They are assisted by a variety of guests,
including ritual folksters Wolfsblood. One can hardly hold it
against them for singing in their native language, but it does
affect my enjoyment. A more significant issue is that Majdanek
Waltz is as ephemeral as they are ethereal, and no single song
manages to catch my attention, unlike say,
Íon, where each understated note is memorable. This is not to
say that this is an unpleasant listen -- quite the contrary; it
just lacks that special something that allows it to be something
more than just another autumn leaf in the stream of ethereal
folk.
Review by Quentin Kalis
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HEATHEN HARVEST
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A band I’ve never heard of who sing in Russian with song titles in
a Cyrillic format that my computer has difficulty understanding?
Thanks, guys. Really…
And yet first impressions
can be so very misleading. “Î Ïðîèñõîæäåíèè Ìèðà” (“About
World’s Birth”, the label’s translation helpfully points out)
starts with mesmeric, electrified strings reminiscent of The
Kronos Quartet or Icelandic project Lost In Hilldurness. It
generates a shifting air of mystery that’s only amplified by the
lack of available information on the band (their website is,
perhaps inevitably, in Russian). A stern voice proclaims over
the music and this is an addition that, I feel, detracts from
the beautiful, layered simplicity of the strings; it’s too high
in the mix and has that brittle sound that comes from being too
poorly recorded.
From this delicate,
magical start we move into a period of heavy drone and
near-MZ412 clattering industrial. The stentorian vocals appear
again but here, in this angular and menacing passage, they seem
to fit. There’s a frantic, ferocious sense that reminds of
military transmissions or the paranoia-laced films of Tarkovsky.
These early tracks are
superb and genuinely atmospheric which is why the eventual
involvement of a tired, slow-strum neo-folk guitar is all the
more grating. I’m getting genuinely fed up of bands who think
that playing two chords one after the other in that same damn
rhythm invokes some sense of martial asceticism. We’ve been
flogging this particular equine corpse for years now, can we
please move on! It’s my particular bugbear, I accept, and some
may find this traditionalism to be immensely appealing.
Strangely, once we’ve got
over this burst of backsliding, we then head back into organic
drones and delicate, pizzicato strings which is far closer to
simple folk than the be-uniformed neo variety. The melodies are
ones that could’ve been heard around campfires for centuries
with the timeless violin/guitar duo holding forth until they
break down into a ticking, clockwork rhythm.
There’s so much in this
record that, even though I find some parts of it to not be to my
taste, it really drags you in. There are eastern European folk
melodies, the deconstructed strings of Shinjuku Thief,
Werkraum’s manipulation of genre and Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio’s
ice-cold atmospheres. Perhaps a bit more time spent on the
production – some of the elements feel too separate and the
songs really benefit when the vocals are layered into the sound,
rather than sitting on top of it – would only improve majdanek
Waltz’ releases but there’s enough inventiveness and variation
to set them on a fine path. Lose the adherence to neo-folk
doctrine and I think we’ll be on to a winner.
“Î÷åíü
õîðîøî”, as they may well say…
Review by Gaendaal
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MUSIQUE MACHINE/MULTI-GENRE MUSIC MAGAZINE
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Majdanek Waltz are a Russian language mix of beautiful/chilling dark
folk, bleak sawing and lush classical air, gloomy drone
tendency, ragged industrial noise elements and the odd hints at
more rocking moments. O proishozhdenii mira (About World's
Birth)is their 4th full length album and is quite satisfying mix
of sounds.
I think their most
impressive feat is to go from deeply grey and ugly moments to
sawing lush and melodic beauty and back again. Take Znak Votana
(The Sign of Wotan) that slips out of the grey concert and bent
back industrial noise churn of the previous track Svitok voiny
(The Scroll of War), into this wonderfully clean melodic
acoustic guitar work that's hovered and soothed on it’s jouney
by beautiful expressive viola playing. Before droping into cold
post-rock guitar folds and grim distortion, before once more
slide back to the enchanted acoustic guitar and viola mix.
Though out there’s surprising and inventive musically turn of
events like this, showing the band really know how to paint very
different emotional soundscapes. The great barren and often
emtion-less vocal tone of Wolfsblood and MRZ really adding extra
depth of atmosphere to the material, but they are used sparingly
letting the other range of grim to beautiful tones to shine in
there own right.
A rewarding and
varied album that takes the listener through many emotions,
barren and beautiful musical colours, but never sounds contrived
or forced. To find out more and to buy direct go to here.
Review by Roger
Batty
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BROKENDOLLS.ORG
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Majdanek Waltz est un
groupe russe qui existe depuis 2002 et qui a déjà à son actif
une dizaine de CD et EPs sortis sur divers labels russes. Ils
évoluent dans une folk calme et mélodique, teintée de temps à
autre d'expérimentations plus ambient. Le site étant uniquement
en cyrillique, il est difficile de se procurer des infos
détaillées sur leur parcours.
Pour Hamlet's
Childhood tous les morceaux sont construits autour de la guitare
et de la basse, d'une manière épurée, mais très efficace. Ces
deux instruments forment le corps de chaque titre, les harmonies
et les mélodies de base, sur lesquelles viennent se greffer un
violon poignant et un accordéon traditionel russe émouvant.
L'album est totalement dépourvu d'instrumentation rythmique, et
son besoin ne se fait ressentir à aucun moment. L'atmoshère est
nostalgique et désabusée, les voix masculine et féminine sont
narratives et en russe ce qui donne un certain charme aux
morceaux, une solennellité particulière bien typée. Les
musiciens nous proposent dix titres élégants et d'une grande
finesse, sur des textes de poètes symbolistes russes, Boris
Polakski, Maximilian Voloshin, et d'un poète allemand
expressionniste, Georg Heym. "As Dark Blue Ice My Day Is" est
une magnifique ballade folk délicate au leitmotiv saisissant,
ainsi que "Rose Of Death" où le violon et l'accordéon sont
captivants. "Cold" est le meilleur titre du CD, imposant et
déchirant, d'une rare intensité, "Down To Underground" un
charmant et délicat interlude au piano. Majdanek Waltz vous
entraîne rapidement dans son univers, par la simplicité de sa
musique, et l'émotion qu'elle dégage. Un univers mélancolique où
l'on se plaît à rêvasser paisiblement, dans la tristesse et la
béatitude. Hamlet's Childhood est le CD idéal pour cette fin
d'automne et les matinées hivernales à venir.
Majdanek Waltz nous
délivre un album très abouti, où le travail studio a été
minutieux, et nous rappelle de grands noms tel que Sol Invictus
ou Forseti. Le cd se présente sous forme de tryptique, illustré
par des photos noir et blanc de villas en ruines, et pour donner
un cachet authentique à l'objet, toutes les informations, les
crédits et les titres sont en cyrillique.
Review by svet_9
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ALTERNATIVMUSIK.ORG
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Blick über den Tellerrand ist eine sicherlich überstrapazierte
Metapher, die universell einsetzbar ist. Und da sie so
universell einsetzbar ist, muss sie auch an dieser Stelle
herhalten – trotz aller Überstrapazierung. Denn was diese
russische Formation auf ihrem Album Äåòñòâî Ãàìëåòà bietet,
eignet sich bestens für einen Blick über den geographischen
Tellerrand der Regionen, in denen man Neofolk sonst vermutet.
Andächtige Momente, akustische Schönheit, kein übertriebener
Pathos, sondern einfach nur streicher- und
akustikgitarrendominierte (neo)folkloristische Musik.
"Âñ¸ áóäåò
òàê, êàê õî÷åòñÿ çèìå" beispielsweise zeigt gut, was
Madjanek Waltz können: Dezente Akustikgitarren spielen gezupfte
Melodieverläufe, die eine recht minimale, aber dafür umso
wirkungsvollere Basis für den eher gesprochenen (hier männlichen)
Gesang. Unterstützend kommen vor allem Streicher hinzu, die mit
ihren Harmonien die Schönheit untermauern. Trotz aller Ruhe
kommt auch Dynamik nicht zu kurz – so ist auch ein Tempowechsel
im Kleinen in diesem Stück auszumachen, der nicht abrupt,
sondern gut abgepasst wirkt.
Was im vergangenen Absatz
am Titel "Âñ¸ áóäåò òàê, êàê õî÷åòñÿ çèìå"
exemplifiziert wurde, lässt sich von der Grundlage her gut auf
das Album übertragen, so dass es eigentlich nicht nötig ist,
weitere Beispiele herauszupicken. Die Musik wird stringent
verfolgt, ohne Langeweile zu produzieren. Beim Gesang fällt auf,
dass dieser mal männlich und mal weiblich ist. Beide Stimmen
neigen eher zum Sprechen. Die Art und Weise, wie der Gesang
gesetzt ist, erinnert stark an Scivias (nicht zuletzt wohl auch
aufgrund der für die meisten wohl unverständlichen Sprache).
Scivias ist auch einer der zwei Namen, die gut dazu dienlich
sind, die Musik für Hörer unserer Breitengrade greifbarer zu
machen. Die Gesangsart von Scivias trifft auf instrumentale
Referenzen (die aber vermutlich eher unintendiert sind) so
einiger Darkwood-Alben.
Majdanek Waltz ist somit
ein Album geglückt, das auf gelungene Weise dem gerecht wird,
was viele mit dem Begriff Neofolk assoziieren. Diesen bestreiten
sie in Reinform und sehr gekonnt. Instrumentale Schönheit trifft
auf – trotz der Tatsache des Gesprochenseins – eingängigen
Gesang. So etwas gibt es also auch noch – sehr schön!
Review by Marius
Meyer
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GUTS OF DARKNESS
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Majdanek Waltz officie dans de la neo-folk traditionaliste
russe, n’hésitant pas à puiser chez des poètes ma foi peu connus
et dont le contenu m’échappera sans doute à jamais. Il reste
donc deux timbres, un masculin et un féminin, récitant les
textes sur des instrumentations soignées et dépouillées. La voix
masculine est malheureusement le point faible de l’album, la
faute à un mixage franchement rêche (voix trop en avant et une
récitation d’un profond ennui), contrastant avec la douceur du
chant féminin ; tout comme les instruments dont les pistes sont
trop distinctes (c’est encore plus flagrant au casque).
Evidemment, je soulève ici l’inépuisable débat son/musique ;
inhérent au processus créatif depuis l’avènement de
l’enregistrement sur support. La musique aurait gagnée à être
plus fluide (voire un peu moins hi-fi ; pour un genre qui aime à
jouer les nostalgiques). Du reste, on a tout de même droit à un
orchestre de chambre très intimiste (violon, basse, piano, et
très belle utilisation de l'accordéon) ; aucun instrument
synthétique ; et des harmonies simples mais toujours raffinées.
On pense au calme d’All My Faith Lost (en moins langoureux
toutefois), Sol Invictus ou In Gowan Ring et sans atteindre des
sommets d’émotions, l’humeur est à la quiétude et aux relectures
poétiques, près du feu.
Review by
Wotzenknecht
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FEINDESLAND.DE
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Provokationen stehen im
Genre Neofolk mit Sicherheit auf der Tagesordnung ganz oben, die
grundsätzlich zwischen totaler Geschmacklosigkeit und mentaler
Horizonterweiterung schwanken. Die Protagonisten Majdanek Waltz
aus Russland treten mit ihrer Projektbetitelung den Beweis an,
das Außenstehende nicht zu Unrecht der Vermutung erliegen
könnten, dass im Neofolk eine Horde "braunes Pack" haust.
Majdanek, ein Name, der
geschichtsinteressierten Lesern des Feindesland.de einen
eiskalten Schauer über den Rücken jagen dürfte. Im dunkelsten
Kapitel der deutschen Geschichte kamen im Konzentrationslager
Majdanek (KZ Lublin) im besetzten Polen in der Zeit von Oktober
1941 bis Juli 1944 geschätzt 1.500.000 Menschen um. Des Weiteren
war Majdanek am 3./4. November 1943 Mitschauplatz des Massakers
"Erntefest", wo über 43.000 (genaue Zahl nie geklärt) Juden ihr
Leben verloren. Weiterführende Informationen finden Sie unter
folgendem Link: http://www.majdanek.pl.Waltz, das englische Wort
für Walzer bringt den zweiten Teil des Namen ans Tageslicht und
ergibt in der Summe "Majdanek Waltz" keine Provokation sondern
eine abscheuliche Geschmacklosigkeit, die auch mit ganz viel
Toleranz bzw. Akzeptanz Künstlern und ihren Arbeiten gegenüber,
einen unerklärlichen Phopa auf ganzer Linie offenbart. Sie
denken wir haben mit diesem Punkt die Spitze des Eisberges
erklommen, oder? Nein, zum Erstauen (auch meiner Person)
erscheint "Hamlet's Childhood" auf dem israelischen
Untergrundlabel The Eastern Front, die uns in regelmäßigen
Abständen mit hervorragenden Publikationen beehren. Diese
spektakuläre Kombination liefert die Sicherheit für alle so
genannten "Gutmenschen", dass Majdanek Waltz zwar den Bogen der
Provokation völlig überspannt haben, aber keine faschistoiden
bzw. nazistischen Tendenzen in sonstiger Hinsicht aufweisen.
Die Formation Majdanek
Waltz entstammt der Stadt Rjasan in Zentralrussland, 200
Kilometer südöstlich von Moskau entfernt. Die Herren Pavel
Blyumkin (Gesang), Ilya Matzevich (Akustikgitarre), Daniil
Vinogradov (Viola), Alexei Epishin (Bayan (Akkordeon)), Petr
Starov (Bass) und Ivan Mitrofanov (Piano) musizieren seit 2002
und publizierten einige Releases, die überwiegend auf russischen
Labels das Licht der Welt erblickten und uns in Westeuropa
verwehrt blieben. Liebhaberinnen und Liebhaber des Subgenres
Darkfolk dürften dadurch ein paar echte Leckerbissen entgangen
sein. Auf "Hamlet's Childhood" spielen Majdanek Waltz fast
ausschließlich (99%) die akustische Variante des Neofolk bzw.
Dark Folk. Alle Stücke auf der CD muten durch die Bank sehr
getragen bis melancholisch an und versprühen einen besonderen
Charme durch den Einsatz von Streichern. Diejenigen unter Ihnen,
die bisher rein akustischen Veröffentlichungen nicht mochten,
können Majdanek Waltz sofort von ihrer Bestellliste streichen.
Hingegen die Fans des deutschen "Darkfolkvorzeigeprojektes"
Darkwood sollten Majdanek Waltz testen, wenn Sie die letzteren
Werke faszinierten. Majdanek Waltz präsentieren Ihnen ausfeilte
Arrangements, die keine Langeweile aufkommen lassen und über
eine saubere Instrumentierung verfügen. Hervorzuheben seien noch
die schönen Stimmlagen von Pavel Blyumkin und seiner mir nicht
namentlich bekannten Partnerin, die sich harmonisch ins
Gesamtkonzept einfügen.
Inhaltlich verarbeiten
Majdanek Waltz auf ihrem Opus "Hamlet's Childhood" lyrische
Auszüge der Poeten Boris Poplavsky (1903-1935, Russland),
Maximilian Voloshin (1877-1932, Russland) und Georg Heym
(1887-1912, Deutschland). Bestimmt eine ansprechende
Vorgehensweise, aber aufgrund der Sprachbarriere (nicht jeder
ist der russischen Sprache mächtig) ein Manko für Individuen,
die mehr eine englischsprachige Prägung genossen. Leider
eröffnet sich Ihnen dieselbe Problematik bei der aufwendig
gestalteten Verpackung, die zwar mit schönem Bildmaterial glänzt,
aber komplett in Kyrillisch daherkommt.
Eine Anmerkung für die
Fraktion der "Sammler und Jäger" unter Ihnen - "Hamlet"s
Childhood" können Sie über The Eastern Front (Israel) und über
Kultfront (Russland) beziehen. Die israelische Ausgabe erscheint
in einer limitierten Auflage von 500 Stück.
Aus handwerklicher Sicht
ein Highlight, welches Sie mit "Hamlet’s Childhood" von Majdanek
Waltz erwartet. Die Personen, die Russisch in der Schule hatten
und beherrschen, erhalten die Chance sich einem interessanten
Oeuvre zu nähern, welches den Rest nur durch die Musik
überzeugen kann. Wer genauso wie meine Wenigkeit dem Chanson
erliegt, findet auf "Hamlet's Childhood" am Ende ein verstecktes
Tondokument vor, dass das Herz höher schlagen lässt.
Review by Raphael
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Questo gruppo russo, che ha iniziato la carriera nel 2002, è uno
dei tanti segni tangibili di un'unità artistica completatasi
anche nel settore underground all'interno di un'Europa che, fino
a qualche decennio fa, era spaccata in due non solo per quanto
concerne l'ambito musicale, e non è quindi un caso che i
Majdanek Waltz raccolgano i princìpi e lo stile di tanto neofolk
accostandoli in parte a temi e testi russi. "Hamlet's Childhood"
è stato prodotto quasi in contemporanea sia dall'etichetta russa
Kult Front che dalla israeliana Eastern Front: quest'ultima ne
garantisce la distribuzione nel settore occidentale, dotando
l'album di un artwork e di una confezione differenti (copertina
cartonata in tre pannelli in luogo del digipak). Il classicismo
stilistico di questa formazione non lascia adito a dubbi
riguardo alle proprie fonti di ispirazione: le basi sono
strutturate su giri non complessi di chitarra classica
arpeggiata, a cui si aggiungono assolo di strumenti da camera
tipo il violino e il piano o motivi legati al settore
popolar-tradizionale, resi ottimamente tramite il Bayan (una
sorta di fisarmonica russa). La voce maschile ricorre spesso
alla funzione recitativa dello spoken-word, ispirato
probabilmente da esempi topici come Tony Wakeford, ma con il
limite di non fondersi alla perfezione con l'impianto acustico
sotteso, mentre va meglio nei rari casi in cui interviene la
vocalist femminile. Ciò che distacca un minimo i Majdanek Waltz
dal resto del 'mucchio' neofolk è il proprio retroterra
culturale, che si fa sentire (ma non comprendere, purtroppo!)
nelle liriche provenienti da poeti russi non molto noti in
occidente come Boris Poplavsky e Maximilian Voloshin, oltre ad
un testo, interpretato in traduzione, del tedesco Georg Heym.
Tutte le indicazioni che l'apparato grafico ci può fornire sono
stampate in cirillico, rispettando così in pieno le direttive di
quello stile neofolk che, oltre a far riferimento alle radici, a
volte (come in questo caso) ci nasconde notizie che potrebbero
essere utili. In chiusura del CD non poteva mancare un buon
brano tradizionale, estratto da qualche registrazione d'epoca.
Unico limite di questo progetto è di rimanere troppo ancorato ad
un genere che sta tramontando, e che forse con qualche
accortezza potrebbe ancora avere qualcosa da dire; certo è che,
se si percorrono in modo insistente le vie del passato e di
alcuni mostri sacri, si finisce col non esprimere in pieno il
proprio punto di vista: risulta infatti evidente la matrice Sol
Invictus (si pensi ad esempio all'album "In The Rain")
nell'accostare minimalismo realizzativo e strumentazione
classica. Devo comunque dire con piacere che i suoni sono
affascinanti e non annoiano, anche se magari un pizzico di
personalità in più darebbe ai Majdanek Waltz quella vitalità che
li farebbe uscire dal guscio.
Review by Michele
Viali
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