RIESENWELLE CONSURFATORY - "Sommer Ohne Ende"

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Recently, a stir was very nearly created when a stash of personal letters sent by Ludwig Van Beethoven was discovered. Most of the content of these letters was unsurprising, but for one stray phrase in one of the letters. A British musicologist who was translating the letters from the original German came across the following non sequitur in one of the more lengthy missives - “Though it pains me to admit it, the surfing in Austria is far superior to that encountered in Germany.” Was Beethoven, in fact, a surfer? What could the composer have meant by this? Shock waves were felt throughout the classical music world, but only for about two days, when this curious comment was discovered to be a gross mistranslation.

Though it is difficult to imagine the mighty Beethoven having an opinion regarding the surfing possibilities in Europe, the two worlds – surfing and classical music – do share some DNA, most notably in the recording you are holding right now. The music contained herein was performed by classical musicians, specifically, four music students from a fairly unprestigious conservatory in Riesenwelle, Germany. These young musicians shared a love not only for classical music, but also for American West-Coast surfing culture. Difficult to explain given their geography, but quite fervent was their desire to marry the two worlds and create a new sound. The result is different but familiar, comical perhaps, but compelling nonetheless. These recordings are inexplicable, and yet they work best without explanation. Don't think, just listen!

Sadly, little more is known about the musicians themselves than that which you will find here. As best as we can ascertain, these recordings were originally intended for commercial release, but given the climate of the recording industry in the 1970s, this never happened. Eventually, the original tapes were rediscovered, cassette dubs made and circulated among surf aficionados (and the odd classical listener with a sense of adventure). A few bootlegs were packaged and sold at various times over the years, often presented with disappointing sound quality and usually in very short supply.

But now, with the benefit of the original master tapes and the advent of the internet, this music has the opportunity to surprise the world once again, thanks to the nigh obsessive efforts of Retro Instro Records. May we never forget Berndt Grommet and his friends who dared to reinterpret these timeless melodies in a new way and saw fit to record the whole affair. We cannot help but believe that even Herr Beethoven would approve. Enjoy!

Hans Kritiker

October 2008

Freelance writer, regular contributor to Die MusikZeiten

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