RALF WIENRICH: BITTERSWEET – MUSIC FOR DARK COMEDIES

Ralf Wienrich is one of the most important active German TV-composers of our time, known for works such as the film Coronado (2003) and several episodes of the Spreewaldkrimi scores, which were made available to listeners in multiple editions by Alhambra (Vol. 1, Vol. 2 and Vol. 4). BITTERSWEET - MUSIC FOR DARK COMEDIES now presents selected highlights of his work: "Goebbels and Geduldig" tells the story of the tragic case of mistaken identity due to the physical resemblance between the Jewish man Harry Geduldig and Heinrich Himmler. The music was performed by the ensemble KONTRASTE, conducted by Frank Strobel. Here, Ralf Wienrich skillfully balances the romantic love of the main characters with the hectic, militaristic atmosphere of the era. In "Frau Roggenschaubs Reise" (Mrs. Roggenschaub's Journey), the protagonist, played by Hannelore Hoger, breaks free from her previous life, joins a Sinti family, and steals her husband's supposedly valuable Fender electric guitar. The music is performed with appropriate verve by the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg and the band Django Deluxe. "Mein Bruder der Idiot" ("My Brother, the Idiot") is a successful combination of jazz sounds and orchestral arrangements, the jazz sounds skillfully interpreted by Till Brönner on trumpet. The final two pieces on this album form a cohesive whole: the themes initially introduced in "Blind Date" are further developed and reinterpreted in the piano cycle "Suite Chocolate." We find the alternating use of the various solo instruments in each of the five scores particularly successful and appealing. Ralf Wienrich has made a suite available on SoundCloud for your first introduction - we hope you enjoy listening: https://soundcloud.com/ralf-wienrich/sets/bittersweet-music-for-dark Goebbels und Geduldig (2001) 01. Gutes Wetter am Obersalzberg 3:03 02. Tonis Ermordung 3:31 03. Geduldig und Goebbels 3:21 04. Abschied für immer 2:07 Frau Roggenschaubs Reise (2015) 05. Overture (Stina) 1:40 06. Sie sind doch Zigeuner! 1:03 07. Das glaub' ich nicht (Driving) 1:36 08. Abschied von der Gitarre 1:13 09. Frau Roggenschaub spioniert 2:43 10. Übernachtung im Wohnwagen 1:42 11. Lullaby 0:40 12. Holzwurm oder Mehlwurm (Driving) 1:40 13. Abendstimmung, irgendwie (Nodja) 1:51 14. Der Plan 1:59 Mein Bruder der Idiot (2000) 15. Jakobs Thema 1:43 16. Anna stirbt 2:36 17. Julians Thema 2:07 18. Das Eismädchenlied 1:32 19. Liebesszene 4:05 20. Jakob tanzt 2:26 Blind Date (2010) 21. Aller Anfang 2:52 22. Die Ankündigung 1:46 23. Augen zu und durch 1:34 24. Jetzt fahr' ich 2:09 25. Das Karussell des Lebens 2:26 26. Badespass mit Ausnahmen 2:44 Suite Chocolate For Piano (2025) 27. Couverture 4:11 28. Round Dance of the Marzipan Tartlets 1:32 29. The Caramel Brownie Tower 1:51 30. Plain Vanilla Cream Heaven 2:37 31. Full Range Toffee Battle 2:37 32. Dark Nougat Considerations 3:16 33. The White Chocolate Princess 2:04 34. Infinite Fudge Fountain 4:55 Music composed by Ralf Wienrich Track 5, 7, 12, 13 Music composed by Django Deluxe, arrangement by Ralf Wienrich