Friends of the Italian Opera

Friends of the Italian Opera
General information
Genre (s)	Independent , New Wave , Dark Wave , Gothic Rock , Post Punk
founding	1988, 2009
resolution	1992
Website	www.freunde-der-italienischen-oper.de
Founding members
Singing , movies	Ray van Zeschau (aka RJKKHänsch)
guitar	Jänz Dittschlag (1988–1992 / 2004)
Drums	Tom Gross (1987-1989)
bass	Heiko Schramm (1988–1992)
Trombone , singing	Rainer A. Schmidt (1987–1992 / 2004)
Current occupation
Singing, movies	Ray van Zeschau
guitar	Joey A. Vaising (since 2017)
guitar	Tex Morton (since 2009)
bass	Rajko Gohlke (2004 / since 2009)
Drums	Boris Israel Fernandez (since 2009)
former members
Keyboard , bassoon , vocals	Roger Baptist (1989–1992 / 2004)
Drums	Ralph Qno Kunze (1989–1992 / 2004)
guitar	Alex Anthony Faide (2009-2011)

Friends of the Italian Opera (FDIO) is the name of a German independent music group.

history

In 1987, the group of singers was Ray van Zeschau that at this time in honor of his stepfather Wolfgang Hänsch , the chief architect of the reconstruction of the Semper Opera House is the stage name RJKK Hänsch, drummer Tom Gross and trombonist Rainer A. Schmidt founded, initially still under the name Kot Mpi . On October 7, 1988, the Republic Day , the club manager Mario Looke left the band at this time still illegal (because no player's license ), first as friends of the Italian opera "his" in Club South City (Cottbus) occur. Shortly thereafter, director Wolfgang Engel became aware of her and engaged her for his three-evening Faust production at the Dresden State Theater with singer Ray van Zeschau (alias RJKK Hänsch ) as Euphorion . In 1989 Tom Gross and the trombonist Rainer A. Schmidt left the GDR area that was about to join West Germany . Ray van Zeschau, guitarist Jänz Dittschlag and the graphic artist and press spokesman Dr. HG took the fate of the band in their hands - now with drummer Ralph Qno Kunze , bassist Heiko Schramm and keyboardist, bassoonist and singer Roger Baptist at their side. In early 1990 their first LP was recorded by Oljeg Marosov . One day after the recordings were made, the tapes and the studio equipment disappeared after a break-in and never reappeared. In the same year they turned down the offer to appear in the Dresden barn as the opening act for the group Die Toten Hosen . In spring 1991 trombonist Rainer A. Schmidt, now living in Munich, joined the group again. On March 25, 1991 the band did something special in Dresden. FDIO performed their own, one-time revue in the Great House of the State Theater in Dresden - which can be seen as a daring and daring experiment for this time and for the history of the largest theater in the GDR. To date, visitor numbers of over 1200 people have not been reached again. This makes FDIO the first rock band in the company's history. She was followed by bands and performers such as Die Toten Hosen, Udo Lindenberg and Nina Hagen .

During the FDIO's subsequent stay in Italy, the pieces for the second LP Um Thron und Liebe were created , which were then recorded in a basement studio in Essen within three days. In the winter of 1991 her first vinyl was released in a limited edition of 2500 copies. The tour of the same name began at the same time. In 1992, FDIO was the first Dresden band to take part in the largest international music fair, Popkomm, in Cologne. In the early 1990s, FDIO was considered by many journalists to be the best and most innovative band in the new countries . The second record deal with Alfred Hilsberg's label What's So Funny About and ex Yello Carlos Perón as producer did not materialize during the active phase of the band.

On December 23, 1992 FDIO gave their last concert in Montegalda for the time being.

In 1996 Ray van Zeschau released previously unpublished material on the CD Edle Einfalt - Stille Größe . A year later he released Edle Einfalt Stille Größe together with the 1991, now partially mastered LP Um Thron und Liebe again together with Alfred Hilsberg as a single sound carrier , and together as a CD box under the name Rare, rare and puzzling recordings on What's So Funny About under the German music distribution of Indigo .

It wasn't until twelve years later, on April 17, 2004, that almost all of them met again for a concert in the Gare de la Lune ballroom in Dresden on the occasion of Ray van Zeschau's 40th birthday. The prevented bass player Heiko Schramm replaced Rajko Gohlke (formerly Tishvaisings , Think About Mutation ). In November 2005, opera star René Pape brought the band together again completely. For the ARTE documentary Der Bass René Pape - My Heart Burns by director Sibylle Muth, he had fulfilled his wish to make music with friends of Italian opera one day. Together with Ray van Zeschau he sang the FDIO title You Had a Dream from 1990.

Five years after their last appearance, the journalist and art historian Alexander Pehlemann and the Schauspiel Leipzig managed to bring FDIO back to the stage on November 17, 2009 in the hall of the Centraltheater Leipzig . Since a performance in the last line-up from 1992 was no longer possible, singer van Zeschau brought an almost new line-up on board , again with Rajko Gohlke on bass, Tex Morton and Alex Anthony Faide on guitars and Boris Israel Fernandez on drums. As a guest, FDIO's former keyboardist, bassoonist and second voice Roger Baptist appeared as an alter ego Rummelsnuff .

In 2013 Alex Anthony Faide had to leave Germany and returned to his hometown Buenos Aires . After four years of repeated hiatus, Joey A. Vaising ( The Sonic Boom Foundation , formerly The Tishvaisings , Think About Mutation ) became a new member of the band.

Works

Sound carrier

• 1990: Tape suspected terrorists in custody ... / God save the interior minister
• 1990: Tape Live in Munich
• 1991: Tape Il Grande Silenzio
• 1991: Tape Live at the Schauspielhaus Dresden
• 1991: Tape Live in Dresden
• 1991: LP Um Throne und Liebe
• 1996: CD Edle Einfalt, Stille Größe ( Strandard63 )
• 1997: CD Um Throne Und Liebe (Strandard63 / What's So Funny About )
• 1997: CD box Rare, rare and enigmatic recordings with Um Thron und Liebe / Noble simplicity, quiet greatness (Strandard63 / What's So Funny About)
• 2018: CD Via Dolorosa (Strandard63)
• 2020: LP Via Dolorosa (Strandard63 / Major Label )
• 2020: EP Brothers to the Sun for Freedom - 12 Inch Vinyl Picture Split EP with Die Art (Major Label)

Sampler

• 1990: Tape Dresden History 2 1988-89
• 1990: Tape Dresden 1990
• 1991: Tape breakout attempt number 3
• 1992: CD An own society with own morals (What's So Funny About)
• 2001: CD music in Germany 1950–2000 ( RCA / Bertelsmann )
• 2006: CD voltage power resistance - magnetic tape background DDR 1979-89 ( zigzag )
• 2007: CD Children of the Machine Republic

Unauthorized bootlegs

• 1991: Tape Live at the OJH Riesa
• 1991: Tape Live in the B-Plan Karl-Marx-Stadt
• 1992: Tape Live in the Karl-Marx-Stadt theater club
• 1992: Tape Live at JFZ Neuruppin

Movies

• 1988: Machine
• 1988: Surreal Minds
• 1988: Unlimited Surprises (with Susanne Hoss )
• 1989: Memory (with Susanne Böwe)
• 1989: Holiday
• 1990: 1989
• 1991: For Vincent (with Susanne Böwe and Katherina Lange )
• 1992/2013: Teddy goes to Golgotha

Videos

• 1990: Sentimental Sea
• 1991: Movies
• 1992: Run my Love
• 1996: Live in the Star-Club (Strandard63 / What's So Funny About)

FDIO on TV

• ZDF : Aspects
• ZDF: Nothing new in the east? Director: Tim Lienhard
• MDR : hot spot
• Bavarian radio
• ARTE: The bass René Pape - my heart burns. Director: Sibylle Muth
• Polylux portrait : Rummelsnuff - the anvil made of meat
• ARD night magazine
• "Les espoirs perdus de la Réunification", directed by Géraldine Schwarz , France 5
• MDR at 4 - Opera singer René Pape as guest - Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk / MDR

See also

• The other bands

literature

• Ronald Galenza, Heinz Havemeister (ed.): We always want to be good ... Revised and expanded new edition. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf Verlag, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-89602-637-2 .
• Peter Richter 89/90 . Luchterhand Literaturverlag, Munich 2015, ISBN 978-3-630-87462-3 .
• Christof Meueler: The zigzag principle: Alfred Hilsberg - a life for the underground . Heyne Verlag , Munich 2015, ISBN 978-3-453-16803-9
• Rummelsnuff THE BOOK . Eulenspiegel publishing group , ISBN 978-3-355-01856-2
• Sascha Lange: DJ Westradio: My happy GDR youth . Structure Verlag , ISBN 3-351-02645-5
• Alexander Kühne: Düsterbusch City Lights . Random House Publishing Group , Heyne Hardcore, ISBN 3-453-27018-5

Web links

• Website of the Friends of the Italian Opera
• Sound carriers of the Friends of the Italian Opera in the catalog of the German National Library
• Friends of Italian Opera at Discogs (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ursula May: Faust appears twice. Feuilleton, Nürnberger Nachrichten from 1./2. September 1990.
2. ↑ Benjamin Heinrichs: Two fists and no alleluia. The time of September 7, 1990 ( online ).
3. ↑ PanB: Pathetic madness. Feature section Berliner Zeitung from December 5, 1997 ( online ).
4. ↑ Joe Asomodo: Record Market Zillo No. 2 from February 1998.
5. ↑ The diversity of the cultural inclinations of young people was discussed - LIVE / Legendary Places, Melody and Rhythm , July / August 2010 ( excerpt online )
6. ↑ Bernd Gürtler: A social event of importance. Saxon newspaper from March 27, 1991.
7. ↑ Bistra Klunker: About throne and love - Il Grande Silenzio. TAZ, the daily newspaper of April 9, 1991.
8. ^ Andreas Kohl: Music, records, CD criticism. Cruiser 12/1997.
9. ↑ Manuela Ludwig: From the "Faust" to the "Throne of Love" The friends of Italian opera do not come to Potsdam until 1992. Potsdam Latest News from November 19, 1991.
10. ↑ Michael Pilz: Secure in a cage: The legendary underground band is now in a rustic slipcase. Kultur extra, Spiegel Online from March 26, 1998.
11. ↑ Thomas Hübener: The Celebration of Others. spex # 324 JAN / FEB 2010.
12. ↑ Biba Kopf attends a reunion of underground musicians in Leipzig and hears traces of the city's East German past. THE WIRE (British magazine for experimental and avant-garde music) # 311 | Rewind 2009 | January 2010.
13. ^ ARD night magazine November 18, 2009.