Features In Gowan Ring Concert in Heldrungen Germany 2004
Год издания: Апрель 2005 Стиль: NeoFolk, Experimental, DarkFolk Видео: DVD Размер: 2,91 Gb
Over the past five years Flammenzauber has hosted some of the most memorable neofolk and post industrial concerts in Europe at arguably one of the most romantic settings in Germany. The annual Flammenzauber concerts are held annually at the historical Wasserburg castle in Heldrungen Germany. The festival is organized and hosted by the folks at Lichttaufe.com. Began as a single day event back in 2001 Flammenzauber spans two full days and includes diverse entertainment such as multimedia installments and art offerings that include literature and poetry reading, art exhibits, film showings and a full medieval banquet. Flammenzauber allows members of the post industrial and neofolk music communities to gather for a concentrated celebration of music and art.
Traditionally the Flammenzauber festival has been restricted to mostly neofolk bands and martial acts like Wappenbund and A Challenge of Honor but more recently post industrial artists such as Echo West, Axon Neuron, Coph Nia and Agnivolok have joined forces with more traditional neofolk musicians delivering an expanding range of music to the festival.
Over the last few years the number of recorded concerts, interviews, etc. recorded on DVD has multiplied exponentially. Looking back five or ten years ago there was hardly a valid commercial DVD or even VHS recording that captured any event from within the neofolk and post industrial music communities. Now with the innovations and affordability of digital recording and DVD technology many of us who live away from cultural centers and outside Europe now have the opportunity of witnessing first hand the concerts and celebrations that are such a defining element of our beloved scene.
“Filmwert Flammenzauber” is the most comprehensive DVD recording to yet emerge from this recent flush of productions. “Filmwert Flammenzauber” captures the live musical events of May 19 & 20th of 2004 at the Flammenzauber IV festival. Spanning two DVD’s “Filmwert Flammenzauber” features live musical performances by Changes, Ostara, In Gowan Ring, Waldteufel, Echo West, Axon Neuron and Mercydesign as well as exclusive live interviews with Mercy Design, Waldteufel, In Gowan Ring, Changes and Ostara. That’s seven separate full length live performances and five exclusive interviews! And it doesn’t end there. The producers also offer an ‘extras’ section on one DVD which includes other elements of the festivities beyond the music such as a live recording of a literature recital and a video recording of the medieval re-enactment banquet hosted by the castle. The DVD comes housed in a simple fold out cardboard jacket and features two DVD’s. The DVD will only play on home entertainment DVD systems that are encoded for European or European and American DVD formats. If you have a DVD player attached to your computer it will likely be able to play the DVD. And if you look online a dual format DVD player for the home can be purchased for under fifty dollars.
The combination of live musical performances and interviews is the real draw of “Filmwert Flammenzauber.” The DVD collection offers the viewer the opportunity to witness each band performing lengthy live sets while also delivering very intimate interviews which elaborate upon their lives and music. “Filmwert Flammenzauber” helps give a voice to the still emerging neofolk music genre as some of the genres root members discuss their creativity and inspirations with vulnerability and honesty. The intimate yet casual setting of the interviews and their noticeable length makes for a thoughtful and very interesting addition to the music offered on the DVD’s as they leave the viewer with a sense of familiarity with the artists by their end. The charisma of the artists and their intellectual prowess is impressive. These are not interviews you would hear on MTV or some other trashy outlet for mass produced media but rather the quality of discussion one would expect from musicians of such quality.
The concerts were performed and recorded in what appears to be some type of subterranean tunnel or passage way that is wide enough to host a small stage and a modest audience. The concert footage is heavily edited and shot from a number of angels. The music remains steady throughout while the film makers transition between shots offering the viewer revolving close up shots of the participating musicians and more distant shot that capture the entire stage. Thankfully the film makers were thoughtful in keeping the audience to a bare minimum in most frames keeping the focus on the musicians on stage. And to the audiences detriment many of the attendees can be heard chattering beneath the music which is the curse of any live music event that gets infiltrated by socializing hordes that are more interested in talking than listening to the music. Luckily the editors are able to drown out most of this incessant jabbering. Other than the audiences noise pollution the recordings are excellent. The concerts were each recorded in the entirety and are featured in their full length. Fans of any of the participating bands will want to have a copy of this album the footage is priceless.
Beyond offering a record of the events of Flammenzauber IV “Filmwert Flammenzauber” also offers the distant viewer the opportunity to experience a slice of life from the European neofolk / post industrial music scene. One of the most enduring aspects of viewing the DVD collection is seeing just how small and independent our scene is. Though post industrial music and now even neofolk music has begun to reach an international audience and create international partnerships and friendships the actual industry supporting the musicians remains quite small and homegrown. “Filmwert Flammenzauber” communicates this sense of community and friendship which is the unifying force of our musical community. “Filmwert Flammenzauber” is produced by Ahnstern a sub label Steinklang Industries of Austria whose reputation has built upon creating a family atmosphere that fosters friendly relations between those working within our small music industry.
“Filmwert Flammenzauber” is a great DVD collection that far exceeds its mission of capturing the events of Flammenzauber IV. Secure your copy and enjoy the ambience of a memorable night of post industrial and neofolk music as it happened deep I the bowels of an archaic castle in Germany’s countryside.
Содержание:
01. Introduction Invocation 02. On The Bank Of The Limpid Brook 03. Christina's Song 04. Wind That Cracks The Leaves 05. Boat Of The Moon 06. Sea Ritual 07. 15 Men On The Dead Man's Chest 08. Gently Johnny My Jingalo 09. Grace Walks West 10. Dandelion Wine 11. Cipher's String 12. To Thrum A Glassy Stem 13. Bedlam Boys + Interview
ArtistListing:
Cello - Thomas Hansmann Drums, Percussion - Oliver Featuring [Performer] - B'eirth
Recorded:
"Filmwerk - Flammenzauber" Live dvd x2 compilation Features In Gowan Ring Concert in Heldrungen Germany 2004