Nederlands

Project 'Falling in love again - Marlene Dietrich'

'Falling in love again'

In a varied vocal-instrumental programme 'Marlene Dietrich - Falling in love again' Grupetto brings to life the most beautiful Dietrich songs and the legend created by herself.

As these songs partly only existed in piano version, we had to create ensemble adaptations. However these were made greatly respecting the original. Most of the songs have not been re-edited during more than half a century and have not been performed or recorded after Dietrich’s death. 

Duration: ca 75 minutes

Programme and audio clips

Wenn die Elisabeth nicht so schöne Beine hätt - R. Katscher, H. Gardens

You're the cream in my coffee - De Sylva, Brown, Henderson (*)

Nach meine Beene ist ja ganz Berlin verrückt - W. Kallo (*)

Nimm dich in acht vor blonden Frau'n - F. Hollaender (°)

Kinder, spielt mir doch eine weiche Tangoplatte - F. Hollaender (*)

Quand l'amour meurt - Crémieux, Robin, Millandy

Charleston, Charleston - V. Ellis, J.H. Wood

Wenn ich mir was wünschen dürfte - F. Hollaender (°)

Stormy weather - H. Arlen (°)

Puttin' on the Ritz - I. Berlin (°)

Pagan love song - N. H. Brown (°)

Lilli Marlene - H. Leip, N. Schultze (°)

The boys in the backroom - F. Hollaender (°)

Leben ohne Liebe kannst du nicht - M. Spoliansky

(°) arrangement Valentijn Biesemans
(*) arrangement Jo Vercruysse

Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich started her career as a young revue-artist in Berlin. In 1927 she became acquainted with an instrument that would accompany her all along her career: the musical saw.

Her real breakthrough came in 1930 with one of Europe's first sound films "Der Blaue Engel". The music in this film was composed by Friedrich Hollaender, an all-round pianist-composer who from now on would write film songs, exclusively and especially for her. In that film she was cut out for her part of "femme fatale", which she seemed a lot to act out also in daily life. From her early performances on she attracted attention due to her fatal sensuality and her apparent indifference but significant pretence. 

About 1930 the golden days of Berlin cabaret had come to an end, the nazis took power and Marlene Dietrich decided to emigrate and to settle in the United States after the first american performance of "The Blue Angel". In her wake followed numerous German intellectuals. Among them Hollaender, Spoliansky and other composers, scriptwriters and artists. Dietrich was approached many times by the nazis, but refused to lend her name as a cover for nazi ideology. She became an official American citizen and was considered a traitress of her country by the nazi-press. "The Germany I have known all along doesn't exist any more," she declared when she arrived in Germany as a mascot of the allied forces and saw her destroyed country.

After the war, from 1953 on, and for twenty years, she travelled all over the world with her "one-woman-show" and made the acquaintance of composer Harold Arlen. During the last years of her life she withdrew from the highlights and died lonely in her apartment in Paris on May 6th 1992. She was almost 92 years old.

Marlene Dietrich started her career as a young revue-artist in Berlin. In 1927 she became acquainted with an instrument that would accompany her all along her career: the musical saw.

Her real breakthrough came in 1930 with one of Europe's first sound films "Der Blaue Engel". The music in this film was composed by Friedrich Hollaender, an all-round pianist-composer who from now on would write film songs, exclusively and especially for her. In that film she was cut out for her part of "femme fatale", which she seemed a lot to act out also in daily life. From her early performances on she attracted attention due to her fatal sensuality and her apparent indifference but significant pretence. 

About 1930 the golden days of Berlin cabaret had come to an end, the nazis took power and Marlene Dietrich decided to emigrate and to settle in the United States after the first american performance of "The Blue Angel". In her wake followed numerous German intellectuals. Among them Hollaender, Spoliansky and other composers, scriptwriters and artists. Dietrich was approached many times by the nazis, but refused to lend her name as a cover for nazi ideology. She became an official American citizen and was considered a traitress of her country by the nazi-press. "The Germany I have known all along doesn't exist any more," she declared when she arrived in Germany as a mascot of the allied forces and saw her destroyed country.

After the war, from 1953 on, and for twenty years, she travelled all over the world with her "one-woman-show" and made the acquaintance of composer Harold Arlen. During the last years of her life she withdrew from the highlights and died lonely in her apartment in Paris on May 6th 1992. She was almost 92 years old.

order the CD 'marlene dietrich, falling in love again'

The projects of Grupetto

George Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue
The last waltz on the Titanic
Reynard, Nasty tricks!
In Flanders Fields