Heavy Metal Band Rammstein Meets German Lieder

In Mein Herz Brennt (My Heart Burns)



A searing new song cycle by Torsten Rasch

Featuring the extraordinary bass René Pape

CD available on Deutsche Grammophon February 10



Deutsche Grammophon proudly presents an innovative new recording, inspired by
the intense and provocative songs of the notorious, platinum-selling German
metal band Rammstein and expressed in the form of the classical song cycle.
Bringing together the unique talents of composer Torsten Rasch, producer Sven
Helbig, critically acclaimed bass René Pape, actress Katharina Thalbach and the
Dresden Symphony Orchestra, led by John Carewe, Mein Herz Brennt presents a
fateful combination of words and music reminiscent of German Romanticism within
an explosive external framework -- a song-cycle for the 21st century.



The work's premiere performances this past November in Dresden and Berlin were
highly acclaimed. "Up to now, no one has been inspired to turn material by a
rock band into a completely new work," said Neues Deutschland, "composer Torsten
Rasch has revealed unimagined depths in Rammstein's texts, with great
seriousness and fantasy ... and creates gripping, great music."



The starting point for producer Sven Helbig and composer Torsten Rasch were the
intense and powerful lyrics of Rammstein's Till Lindemann. Fascinated by their
emotional fragility and spiritualism, Rasch captures the lyrics with great
tenderness, all the while evoking classical composers from Schubert to
Schönberg. Songs such as "Mutter" (Mother), "Herzelied" (Heartache) and
"Sehnsucht" (Longing) are already familiar to millions of Rammstein fans
worldwide.



Composer Torsten Rasch (b. 1965) was a member of the Dresden Kreuz Choir from
1974-1982 and studied composition and piano at the Carl-Maria von Weber Academy
of Music before emigrating to Japan in 1990, where he worked in film and
television. In 1998 he received the first composition commission of the Dresden
Symphonic for the soundtrack to "Völuspa." The Dresden Symphonic, founded five
years ago, is uniquely dedicated exclusively to contemporary music.



The German bass René Pape is one of the most exciting opera singers on the scene
today, widely acclaimed for the breathtaking power of his voice and his magnetic
stage presence. Pape's performances of the great Wagner roles at the
Metropolitan Opera and elsewhere have led critics to call him one of the
greatest Wagner singers of all time. On March 1 he will perform his first Mozart
role at the Met, when he stars as Leporello in the new production of Don
Giovanni.



Katharina Thalbach is one of the most versatile German actresses on stage and
screen. She achieved international recognition for her roles in "The Tin Drum"
and "Sophie's Choice."



###



contact: cinemediapromo@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]