Songs for the German-Swiss TV doc-series “Wunderwelt Schweiz” – recording session with Kristina Fuchs

Cologne, 26. September in topaz-studio, cologne 

We recorded the old Swiss folksong „Lueget vo Berg und Tal“ for a swiss-german TV-documentary-series about the 4 big regions of Switzerland (-> here). To reflect the 4 different native languages spoken in the four regions, we made our own versions based on this old tune, wich is so well-known in all the different parts of Switzerland. Therefore we translated also the text – originally written in „Schwizerdütsch“ – in French, Italian and the not so well-known Rumanscht (räteromanisch) for the different episodes.

Kristina Fuchs, swiss-born singer, recorded with us the songs for the films in Oktober 2017 in the cologne-based Topaz-studio with: Marcus Schinkel, piano / Markus Segschneider, acoustic guit. & mandoline / Kristina Fuchs, vocals & Hangdrum ( & Arr.) Jeroen van Vliet, piano ( recorded in Amsterdam, he is not on the photo)

Together with Kristina, i rearranged and produced the new three versions to match the needs of the different episodes. I also wrote the music for all 4 episodes of „Wunderwelt Schweiz“ ( 4x50min HD/4K // Marco Polo Filmproduction). The three text-translations of this old tune was done with a whole bunch of passionate and helping people ( 20 or so in total…) from Italy, Germany, France and the rhaeto-romance (rätoromanische) community of Switzerland. Thank you all! ( see text-cast below)

 

The 4 episodes of “Wunderwelt Schweiz” will first be broadcast on the 3SAT channel starting on Monday 13.11.17 // 20:15h and later on the Swiss TV SRF: „Die Jura-Region“ & „Winterliches Graubünden“: Director: Mi-Yong Brehm  // „Das Tessin“ & “Wasser und Eis“: Director: Ulf Marquardt
For more information about the 4 films: see here on my website ->

 

About Kristina Fuchs:

The singer with her kaleidoscopic voice juggles in the jungle of styles with mastery. At times, she sounds light and silvery, at times dark and velvety, at times crazy and joyful, but always musical and seducing.Determined and virtuoso, she might accompany herself with a loop-station (electronic tool that permits to sing multi-voiced) and a hang (a Bernese kind of steel-drum). She’s always looking for new challenges.

The jazz-educated singer has lived in the Netherlands for more than twenty years. She has projects in various countries, mainly the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium.

Kristina Fuchs studied voice at the Swiss Jazz School in Berne (CH) and at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (NL). Her main teachers were Rachel Gould and Jeanne Lee.She followed international Master Classes with Norma Winstone and Lauren Newton and more recently studied Indian Carnatic Singing with R.A. Ramamani (Bangalore).

Since more than 10 years she studies sound-oriented singing (Klangorientiertes Singen) with Ingrid Voermans.

(more on her website: www.kristinafuchs.com)

 

 

 

While composing the music for the films, i came across her great project, her work with a songbook of old Swiss Folk Songs: “Im Röseligarte”.
Kristina wrote:
“Something was ringing a bell. For years I had been looking for ‘Im Röseligarte’. This famous collection of 400 years of Swiss Folk Songs was first published between 1908 and 1925. I had only found a few ruffled volumes. I didn’t know that in 2008 the Zytglogge Verlag had republished the whole collection. When I stumbled upon it in a bookstore at the train station of Bern during a short stopover, something was ringing in my ears (it was a cowbell)”

Songs
Arrangements and Production: Stefan Döring // Kristina Fuchs: vocals, hangdrum, „Lueget“  -co-arr. // Markus Segschneider: acoustic guitar, mandolin // Marcus Schinkel: piano // Jeroen van Vliet, piano (Amsterdam) // Recording-Studio: Topaz – Rainhard Kobialka

Songtext and translations:

Lueget vo Berg und Tal
Flieht scho der Sunnestrahl
Luegit uf Aue u Matte
Wachse die dunkele Schatte
D’Sunn uf de Bärge no stoht
Oh – wie si d’Gletscher so rot
Oh – wie si d’Gletscher so rot

Schwizerdütsch – original Text: J.A. Henne (1798-1870)

Texts & Translations

Entre montagne et vallée

Entre montagne et vallée
Vois le soleil se coucher!
Comme il finit son voyage
L’ombre caresse les alpages
Tous les rayons se reposent
Sur le glacier tout en rose
Sur le glacier tout en rose

French translation: Verena Guido // with friendly support from Fabienne Carlier, Veronique Gain

Guarda, per monti e per vallis

Guarda, per monti e per vallis
fugge il raggio del sol
guarda sui pascoli cresce
presto la ombra del bu-io
‘l-sol’ s’avvicina al mont’
oh, com’ son’rossi’i ghiacciai
oh, com’ son’rossi’i ghiacciai

Italian translation: Esther Hansen // with friendly support from  Salvatore D´Arrigo, Enea Lanzarone, Floria Nobs

Mira, giud pizza e val

Mira, giud pizza e val
Scola il radi final
Mira, sur prada ed ogna
Mira sin crest e muntogna
Scatschan l’umbrivas il cler
Tut cotschen tarlisch’il glatscher
Tut cotschen tarlisch’il glatscher

Rumantsch ( Rätoromanisch) translation: Benedetto Vigne  // with dedicated help from Corin Curschellas and Erica Castelberg

@