NEUE ZEITEN ALTE ZEICHEN
Hubert von Goisern's love of experimentation
The musician demonstrates at the Königsplatz that the foolishness of youthful resistance is long gone. Despite the thoughtfulness, his show remains colourful – and cheeky at times. It doesn't look like he will quit anytime soon.
It is astounding how naturalised his genre of music has become. When Hubert von Goisern started carrying the idea of indie folk into the yodel business in the early nineties, his records bore a "new folk music" label just to be safe, to help the two style fronts accept his desire to experiment within the impropriety of the mixture.
Now he stands on stage at the Königsplatz and attracts a visibly 40+ audience to the rows of folding chairs. It's an audience that doesn't just bear the chilly summer weather and cheerfully honour the structural wildness of his combinations of content and sound, but one that also enjoys it, with a tendency towards nostalgia, as a chapter of their own musical development.
The beginnings are Weit, weit weg (Far, far away), so smartly and gently remembered, bathed in purple light in the encores that some automatically put their arm around their partner. Up until now Hubert von Goisern has offered a colourful, thoughtful and at times cheeky show. A lot happened, like floaty synth atmospheres dedicated to Jane Goodall, flaky, funky rhythms in memory of Nina Simone, a sarcastic, brooding drug beat in reference to the party vibes of post techno celebrations and noisy guitar drones with a goth-like charm. The old dance floor numbers with accordion and spoon percussion are sprinkled in here and there, then the traditional yodel from Goisern, Kohler Seiner, is turned into cheerily flowing Latin pop.
The thoughtful section of the concert is dedicated to Bayreuth, Wagner, Lehár and the librettist Fritz Löhner, murdered by the National Socialists, whose life Hubert von Goisern recalls to beats and the operetta motif sung by Andreas Schager, Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert.
After a good two hours this wide arc is complete and Hubert von Goisern has shown that the foolishness of youthful resistance lies behind him, without having given up his love of experimentation. Before the concert, rumours of retirement were doing the rounds. After the concert that seems unlikely.
Hubert von Goisern in Munich: At the top of his game at the Königsplatz
Hubert von Goisern makes a stop in Munich on his "Neue Zeiten Alte Zeichen" tour and gives a rousing concert at the Königsplatz.
He's certainly one hell of a guy and gets the otherwise disciplined Munich audience out of their seats. It takes a mere 90 minutes on this Friday evening (16 June 2023) to get everyone up and it stays that way until just before 11pm, when Hubert von Goisern and his wonderfully cheery and fantastically well-rehearsed band say goodbye to the sound of loud cheers. To avoid any confusion: it makes sense that this show, the biggest one of the tour for the Austrian, is seated. The musician, born in Goisern in 1952 as Hubert Achleitner, plays for the heart and mind; you can absolutely dance to the music, and the lyrics are definitely worth listening to. "Come sit with me, no matter who you are," goes the opening line to A Tag wie heut. It's an appeal for tolerance – and at the same time a musical system of belief: Hubert von Goisern is open to many styles, which he integrates and interprets into his art.
Munich is the biggest show on Hubert von Goisern's current tour
It's a special experience at the Königsplatz, in part because the sound engineer manages to do a fantastic job of mixing the songs in the difficult conditions of the open air concert – even though the wind is occasionally completely still, that is never an easy task. The subtle sound of the triangle can be heard as clearly as the heavy beat that swells across the square in a richly grooving wave during El Ektro, the second song of the evening.
Before the excursion into the back catalogue with its umpteen classics, they play almost all the songs from the current album Zeiten & Zeichen. Among them are the jolly rhyming fun of Eiweiß and the politically heavy Brauner Reiter, in which Severin Trogbacher vigorously scrubs the dead notes. His guitarist is not the only musician at Hubert von Goisern's side who is as fabulous as he is artistically multi-faceted. There's also drummer Alexander Pohn, who grounds the set, holds it together and drives it forward, and then there's multi-instrumentalist Maria Moling, who particularly impresses on the vibraphone.
The 70-year-old himself has long existed in a league of his own. He is in a great mood and very talkative – if you meet him, you must have him tell you how he met Andreas Schager in Bayreuth. With the Wagner tenor he recorded Freunde, a bow of respect to the librettist Bedrich Löwy, who often worked with Franz Lehár, who nonetheless couldn't/didn't want to save him from being murdered in Auschwitz in 1942. Although Schager's vocals are recorded ("We couldn't afford to bring him on tour"), the song that tells of inner turmoil in a deeply touching way is a first highlight of the evening. It results in a standing ovation.
As soon as the second song has finished, a man shouts towards the stage from the far side of the Königsplatz: "You guys are the best!" Hubert von Goisern comments dryly: "What am I supposed to say to that?" How about: "Agreed!"
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah Marchant
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Gmunden - 28. Mai 2023
Photo: © Sarah MarchantHubert on absolute top form
140 minutes of Goisern at full throttle at the tenth edition of "Gmunden rockt"
"I hope you're well prepared and have learned the lyrics. If not, then you're in for a surprise", with these words Hubert von Goisern welcomed his fans in Gmunden on Sunday and set the course for the first 70 minutes.
During this time he entertained with songs purely from his last album Zeiten und Zeichen from 2020. "The album's not so new any more, but since the world stood still for two years, it's not so old either", said the 70-year-old, bursting with energy and often with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.
The first part was otherwise particularly urgent (Brauner Reiter), intense (Sünder), thought-provoking (Freunde) and impressive — entertainment with a lot of attitude, just as we're accustomed to from HvG.
The second 70 (!) minutes was a little lighter, brighter, though no song from the world musician is without a message. Oben und Unten, Brenna tuats guat, Iawaramoi and Goisern made for a magnificent atmosphere and the Rathausplatz roared.
Weit, weit weg and Heast as net granted true goosebump moments. With the great band then dismissed after about 135 minutes, Hubert von Goisern came back on stage one final time and played the love song Dunkelrot solo on the guitar.
A fine conclusion to a wonderful concert evening and a worthy finale to bring the tenth edition (since 2012) of "Gmunden rockt" to a close — beautifully organised once again by floro.
Hubert von Goisern tops off 10 years of Gmunden rockt
What a night: how HvG thrilled his audience at the Naturtheater in Bad Elster
Together with his band, the Austrian had people in high spirits. And he had some surprises up his sleeve.
Bad Elster. There comes a point when Chursächsische Veranstaltungs GmbH gets every artist, every artist and every ensemble and brings them to the Vogtländ cultural Mecca of Bad Elster, as long as the coup can be afforded. Tenacity is required, patience and of course a little luck - but then the anticipation is all the greater.
And so on Whit Saturday, Hubert von Goisern finally stood on stage with his band at the Naturtheater. He came with his Styrian accordion and played sounds reminiscent of alpine folk music. One by one the band followed him and took up their instruments. The boss went up to each musician and rocked him into the piece. The song developed into an inferno of sound. "Ok, are you all well prepared? Have you learned the lyrics from before? I can promise you a few surprises for which you can't prepare."
Of course the singer-songwriter icon didn't conceal his origins, but he is no longer just the "alpine rocker" as he was once mainly known. His political aspirations have remained, packed in profound and darkly-humourous lyrics, always with the invitation to think and take a look at oneself as far as the present day is concerned: "Wo sind die Heiligen, wo sind die Sünder? Wo sind die Ruhigen, die Schweiger?"("Where are the saint, where are the sinners? Where are the calm people, those of few words"), "Wann kommt der Stromstoß?" ("When's the power surge coming?), "Keiner weiß, wie lange es die Welt noch gibt. Keiner weiß das heute" ("Nobody knows how long the world will last. Nobody knows right now."). Hubert von Goisern sang this lamenting happening in Germany too, known as "Gesudere" in Austria, "even hough we've landed on our feet". He and his band amazed with their musical diversity: they rocked the audience at the Naturtheater and rapped, and calmed things down again with tender love songs: "Ich bin nicht dein Bogen, nicht dein Pfeil" ("I'm not your bow and not your arrow"), "Ich bin nicht das Paradies, trag' dich nicht auf den Händen, hol' dir das Goldene Vlies" (I'm not paradise, I don't carry you in my hand, or fetch for you the golden fleece"). It was a touching moment when Hubert von Goisern sang Weit, weit weg together with percussionist Maria Moling and a choir of voices from the rows of seats. It was also touching, the way in which he enchanted the audience with his unashamed affection for Nina Simone and Jane Goodall.
Although Hubert von Goisern sang "Wollt ihr tanzen? Ich will es nicht. Ich brauche Pflanzen, um mich zu verschanzen" (Do you want to dance? I don't want to. I need plants to fortify myself") at the beginning of the two-and-a-half hour concert, there were many in the audience who didn't stick to it and couldn't contain themselves, dancing in high spirits between and next to the rows of seats as well as they could. A great evening.
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Kufstein
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Kufstein - 20 May 2023
Photo: © Daniel Merkel
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Kufstein - 20 May 2023
Photo: © Daniel Merkel
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Kufstein - 20 May 2023
Photo: © Daniel Merkel
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Kufstein - 20 May 2023
Photo: © Daniel Merkel
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Kufstein - 20 May 2023
Photo: © Daniel Merkel
Hubert von Goisern: Live in Kufstein - 20 May 2023
Photo: © Daniel MerkelHubert von Goisern: "I die if the wrong note is played!"
World musician Hubert von Goisern has begun what is perhaps his last tour. In Petra plaudert he reveals what will follow, how he is plagued by his fear of failure, and why he can't play with some musicians.
With profound and humorous lyricism
World musician Hubert von Goisern in Markdorf: audience enjoys the versatility
Markdorf - Hubert von Goisern and his band excited the audience with immense artistic diversity at the Markdorf Open Air on Friday evening. The singer, musician, lyricist and composer captivated his listeners with an unusual, richly facetted repertoire of different musical genres and moved generations.
Such as Doris Falge. She had made the long journey from Waldshut to see Hubert von Goisern live for the first time with her friend Monika Bauer. It was like a birthday present, she said, as she was to celebrate her 76th birthday the next day. "He's my absolute favourite singer. The way he comes up with his lyrics is so impressive and touching. I have four of his CDs and I listen to them non-stop," Doris Falge said, full of great expectations for the concert.
Hubert von Goisern, whose stage name is indicative of his sense of humour, as he hails from Goisern in Upper Austria, steps up to the microphone. He warns and advises: "I will start with the new stuff. So, if anyone's here for the first time, prick up your ears and keep calm."
The listeners remained calm. Including those who mainly enjoy the now 70-year-old singer-songwriter and world musician as a representative of alpine rock. But that is what defines him and his success: he never stands still, he keeps growing, remains curious and shows more than just signalled commitment. He encases his often socio-critical lyrics in harmonious sounds and serves them up without a wagging finger. He garnishes them with subtle and profound humour, allowing them to flow smoothly into people's ears and stick in people's minds.
The crowd celebrates this. People bob up and down to the beat and smile at the song about the polar bears who refuse to live a vegan life and let out a fervent cry for protein in the chorus. They sing along with his classic Weit, weit weg from 1992, cuddle up to their partners during the romantic songs and shudder at the dark and gloomy Armageddon-style sounds of storms, cawing crows and church bells. Hubert von Goisern sings against a pessimistic worldview and constant bellyaching. "Of course, everything could be better, but we're fine. We've landed on our feet", he says.
Hubert von Goisern has musically packaged his entire life, his many journeys and his political commitment to people and the environment, such as his time with chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall, about whom he filmed a documentary. He sings, yodels, plays the flute, plays guitar, and brandishes his Styrian accordion, energetically accompanied by a five-piece band. Goisern has his fans, although he's not mainstream.
[...] There are many encores and finally Hubert von Goisern sits alone on the brightly lit stage and sings Wia die Zeit vergeht (sic - Dunkelrot). He's right. Time passed too quickly during the concert. At the end, he thanks everyone and says: "Look out for each other, don't put up with just anything - except something good!" and with that dismisses the happy crowd into the night.
Hubert von Goisern in "Feuer und Flamme"
Fire-red socks - Hubert von Goisern allows himself a bit of fun even at 70. "I think I'm a fun person. Even if everyone around me don't always think so, because I can be demanding too," he says of himself. But he has made many friends over the years, all over the world. Just in April he was travelling in South Tyrol, Bolgna and Napoli with his band member, South Tyrolean keyboardist and composer Alex Trebo. Alongside Trebo, Gadertal musician Maria Moling, Brixen violinist Irene Troi and her son Raphael with his cello will be on stage for Goisern's concert on 2 June at the Vertikale in Brixen, Goisern says. "You have such people here in South Tyrol, it's unbelievable." There will be more of the tried and true Goisern songs on the setlist: people will be looking for Brenna tuats guat for example, and Heast as nit. "That goes really high, but I'll keep singing it as long as I can do it!" This year's tour of 30 concerts will most likely be followed in the winter by another break, during which Goisern wants to withdraw from public to write among other things.
Why tears still come to his eyes when he thinks about his mother, why he probably inherited the travelling bug from his father and much was revealed by Hubert von Goisern on Sunday, Mother's Day, in "Feuer und Flamme".
Hubert von Goisern on tour with live album and "best of" compilation
Hubert von Goisern is heading off on tour again: the musician, who celebrated his 70th birthday last year, is starting his Neue Zeiten Alte Zeichen open air tour in May. Fittingly, he's also releasing a live album and a new "best of" compilation (Derweil 2) that covers the last fifteen years. After the concert tour, the first thing he has planned is a break. "I don't know how long for", says Hubert von Goisern.
The break and compilation combination has happened before, with the publication of the first Derweil and a pause from the stage after the end of his Trad tour in January, 2005. "The time has come again and after this year I'll be gone from the stage for a long time." He makes no estimate as to when he may return. "When I end something, I never know when and how it will continue", Goisern explained on Thursday at a press conference in Vienna.
After all, it's not the case that he couldn't live without music. "There are other things that are wonderful," the musician explains with a twinkle in his eye. He won't be coming back with a purely "best of" set. "Either I can think of something new, or I won't do it." His literary work will probably see some new output: after publishing debut novel Flüchtig under his real name Hubert Achleitner in 2020, he wants to dedicate time to writing again. "That's actually the plan. But you have to have an idea first. I've not done any preliminary work."
In any case, he finds writing to be a very pleasant process. "You don't have to coordinate with anyone else", von Goisern said in reference to the organisational work of his music and live productions. "The team for that is huge, it's a medium-sized company. But when you're writing, you're completely alone, which is cool. It's something that concerns only me." A stage piece has been in the back of his mind as well. "That desire goes back 40 years. It's a wonderful dream. But bringing it to life? So many notes, so much text. The impetus is there. I just don't know whether every dream can be realised."
Von Goisern recently expressed criticism of the coalition talks that have begun between the ÖVP and FPÖ in Salzburg. Is there an urge to process the looming political shift to the right in music or literature? "The tension has increased", von Goisern nodded. "It's tempting to strum those very tight strings and play those high notes." But it's not his intention to produce "politically active sounds".
He will play the upcoming tour with the same lineup as last year, although this year they will be performing exclusively open air, which is why the setlist has been changed and is less focused on ballads. "A few songs will go and others will be added", von Goisern revealed. "Some of them I haven't played in a long time. Good songs are timeless and fortunately I have a few of those in my repertoire." After the difficult start to the tour in 2022, when his band was briefly wiped out by coronavirus, he's feeling relaxed. "With every difficulty you overcome, every overhang you scale, you gain more confidence that a solution will be found." A total of 30 concerts are scheduled for Austria, Germany, and Italy.
Welcome to the eternal past
Old new albums, 30 concerts and political spirit: Hubert von Goisern on horrendous coalition ideas and a break from music.
"Without further ado: welcome to the past," proclaims the booklet of one of the two new double albums from Hubert von Goisern. The gesture to the past also gains relevance in regards to the political situation, if you take into account how the Goiserer has expressed himself politically over the course of his career. His position has been mostly one coming from a private citizen, but always with a cosmopolitan, artistic attitude and aesthetic, and sometimes expressed very directly in songs, of which Iawaramoi is a good example. It's about a fundamental unease at the growing activity on the right wing of politics. In the original, Jörg Haider is referenced directly: "In a pub Haider nags like a preacher, against those lazy-bones and those fare dodgers, communists and the whole pack, and that's class …" The song was later adapted to address HC Strache. And now it's Herbert Kickl's turn, because the Goiserer will take Iawaramoi on tour in mid-May.
The song is 31 years old. But it remains topical, because "it's a horrendous notion that there could be a coalition with the FPÖ", the Goiserer said on Tuesday, commenting on the results of the state parliament elections in Salzburg. And he will and cannot believe that Governor Haslauer could enter into such a coalition. He would be deeply disappointed in Haslauer were he to do so.
Neue Zeiten, alte Zeichen is the name of the tour that the Goiserer is kicking off in May. Many things remain relevant - "or have become relevant again" he says of the name. He has no illusions about what art or one song can achieve. "Art can't change anything, but it can provide comfort," he says.
He'll be playing 30 concerts this year. It's the continuation of the Zeiten & Zeichen tour from last year, when he performed 70 times with his band. "We played too much as far as I'm concerned", he says, looking back. The Goiserer would have preferred to split the number of shows equally over the two years. "But we didn't have a choice", he says in reference to postponing gigs due to the pandemic. The final concert of the tour took place last November at the Festspielhaus in Salzburg. The live recording is now being released as one of two new double albums to come out just before the tour begins.
This year's tour consists exclusively of open air concerts and for that reason he has struck many of the ballads from last year's programme. "There's never the same calm at an open air gig that you can achieve in an auditorium", he says. Last year he played all the songs from the most recent studio album Zeiten & Zeichen. Only towards the end of the shows did he delve into his back catalogue. It's not yet decided which older songs will crop up other than Iawaramoi. Ten "old new songs" are currently available. Which of them will make it out of the treasure trove and into the setlist with a new spin on them will be worked out during rehearsals in the coming days.
Off the stage, von Goisern is retrospective as well. Derweil 2 is a compilation, the predecessor of which, Derweil, was released in 2005. Back then, Goiserer had played a good 100 concerts on the Trad tour as well as a show at the Festival au Désert near Timbuktu in the southern Sahara, somewhere currently inaccessible to travellers. After that, 34 songs were chosen from the twelve albums released between 1988 and 2004. Derweil 2 now contains songs from ten albums and covers the period of 2008 to 2023.
Releasing the live album and a "best of" compilation at the same time has economic reasons. "Because that way we can sell them at the merchandising stand", the Goiserer says. Elsewhere, the era of the CD is over. A physical album certainly seems nostalgic and anachronistic in the time of downloading and streaming. But von Goisern recognises a moment of resistance in the anochronistic.
Just as in 2005 and before that in the 1990s, after the success of the Alpinkatzen, this compilation and live album represent the conclusion of an artistic phase. "I'll be taking a break for a couple of years after this year", says the Goiserer, who celebrated his 70th birthday last November. It's a break from writing music and live concerts. But the Goiserer indicates that he will turn to writing. Whether that means a follow-up project to his novel Flüchtig remains open.
Hubert von Goisern in Munich: Highlight at the Königsplatz
Hubert von Goisern is setting off on his "Neue Zeiten – Alte Zeiten" tour and will be making a stop at the Königsplatz in Munich on 16 June 2023. The musician is also announcing two new albums.
Just as the press conference is almost over on Monday morning (3 April 2023), Hubert von Goisern is asked about future projects and answers with these two sentences: "I hope there are still things waiting for me. About which I know nothing yet." It's quite possible that it's precisely this openness and curiosity the 70-year-old has, that make his music exciting time and again. The same way he lets himself in for a surprise, he surprises his audience. Attending one of the Austrian's concerts, you know that you don't know what to expect. "I always have more songs on the list than we have time for." Brilliant.
Hubert von Goisern to play at the Königsplatz, Munich on 16 June 2023
Nonetheless, there are some concrete facts: Hubert Achleitner, born 1954 in Goisern, Upper Austria, will be kicking off his tour Neue Zeiten Alte Zeichen and will make a stop at the Königsplatz in Munich on 16 June 2023; it will be the biggest concert of the tour. The crazy Bavarian band Pam Pam Ida will be the warmup act together with the Silberfischorchester. "I'm very excited and I'm really looking forward to it", said von Goisern. The Königsplatz will be seated; tickets are already on sale.
The musician, who as good as invented alpine rock in the eighties with the Original Alpinkatzen and since then has explored many styles, countries and genres, last played at the Königsplatz eight years ago. For this year's show he promises retrospectives of his career – as well as looks forward. A showcase will also incidentally be offered by his double album Derweil II, to be released in May 2023, - a recollection of the past 15 years. A live recording of last year's concert at the Salzburg Festspielhaus will be released at the same time. The performance was filmed too – BR and ORF are currently in broadcast negotiations.
Hubert von Goisern: "Change is life"
Hubert von Goisern sees both the tour motto ("We'll be playing songs that have stood the test of time and are still topical") and the title of his studio album Zeiten & Zeichen (2020) as thoroughly political: "It's not simply since Covid and the outbreak of war that this new era has had us in its grip." He remembers a conversation he had with British research scientist Jane Goodall in the nineties: "She said that humanity is on a steam ship that's going in the wrong direction. We don't have much time left to change course." The "worldwide solidarity" that's required in the face of many crises overwhelms many people – or they've lost it, he concludes. "But that's exactly what we need right now. Otherwise things are going to get very bad." Nonetheless, he remains optimistic: "I'm convinced that humanity has the resources to change." Of course, von Goisern concedes, everyone would regret from time to time that so many things were not as before. "But change is life." As an artist, he's all too familiar with that – and not just since he published his debut novel Flüchtig and landed a bestseller right off the bat. It's possible that despite his "respect for literature" he will work on a new book – when the concerts are over. "That'll be it for now after this tour. When I'm playing music, there's no thought of a novel."