Hans Theessink : Jedermann Remixed

Come tutti sapranno il festival di Salisburgo è uno dei piu' imporanti festival per gli amanti della musica operistica e lirica. Si tiene ogni anni nella citta' che diede i natali ad uno dei piu' grandi geni della musica europea ossia Mozart ed è seguito da tantissime persone, un vero e proprio evento nazionale, con i giovani nella piazze a farla da padrona. Ed è proprio in questo contesto, che nel 1920, quando forse nessuno ancora capiva cosa sarebbe successo, venne presentato sul palco princiapale di quel festival lo Jedermann, divenuto da allora uno dei momenti piu' importanti e piu' seguiti dell'intero festival ( clicca qui x maggiori info Jedermann ). Si tratta della rappresentazione di una novella dove l'uomo , ( rappresentato dal ricco Jedermann ), Dio e la Morte si impersonificano e ci accompagnano durante il nostro ultimo giorno per farci prendere consapevolezza di quanto e come abbiamo vissuto. Da questa rappresentazione è stato tratto un film e la colonna sonora scelta per rappresentare questo viaggio esistenziale è la musica che piu' di ogni altra si adatta con l'anima : l'essenzialita' del Blues. E chi in Austria avrebbero potuto chiamare per un simile progetto se non il nostro Hans Theessink ? Per l'occasione Theessink ripercorre la storia del blues "moderno", quello post bellico per intenderci, affiancando a sue composizione originali brani di Bo Diddley, Tom Waits, Hank Williams, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash fino agli Stones della coppia Jagger/Richards. Classici e composizini originali vengono rielaborate e presentate in una versione essernziale dove a farla da padrona sono la voce e la chitarra semiacustica del nostro.

Dutch morality play Elckerlyc was written in the late 15th-century and may well have been the original source for the English play Everyman. In 1911 Hugo von Hofmannsthal adapted Everyman as Jedermann, and since 1920 Jedermann has been performed every year on the steps of the Cathedral in Salzburg as part of the Salzburger Festspiele. The open-air performances have been one of the highlights of the Festival season ever since. Throughout the years many famous German language actors/actresses have been part of Jedermann in Salz burg. Actors playing Jedermann include Attila Hörbiger, Will Quadflieg, Curd Jürgens, Maximilian Schell, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Helmut Lohner, Gert Voss, Peter Simonischek and Nicholas Ofczarek. His famous “mistresses” (Buhlschaft) include Christiane Hörbiger, Senta Berger, Sunnyi Melles, Veronica Ferres and Birgit Minichmayr ...

Based on Everyman and enhanced with dramatic modern adaptations, Jedermann presents God, Death, the Devil and other abstract beings as personifications. The rich Jedermann is faced by unexpected Death, calling him to his judgment. Allowed company on his final journey, he is deserted by his loyal servant, his friends and his money; the figures of Good Works and Faith help him repent and save his soul before he is lowered into his grave.

In 2011 the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF commissioned film director Hannes Rossacher to produce the film “Jedermann Remixed” to commemorate the success-story of 90 years Jedermann phenomenon in Salzburg. Rossacher used archive footage from 9 decades to put together a cultural historic puzzle and create a unique performance of Jedermann that has not been seen in this form before. ORF and Hannes Rossacher asked me to produce the soundtrack for the film and we selected the songs that would fit the themes and scenes.

Besides several Theessink originals we recorded songs by many legendary songwriters: from Bo Diddley to Tom Waits, Hank Williams to Ray Charles, Johnny Cash to Rolling Stones Jagger/Richards. We also struck gold with some tradi tional songs that have been handed down through time.

For me it was a wonderful challenge to create this soundtrack to support the images of the film.

I‘ve tried to reduce the arrangements to the basic essentials; sometimes just one guitar-one voice.

It‘s the nature of film music that only certain passages of the songs are used where the film needs it. Still we recorded the songs in their full length; resulting in “Jedermann remixed” the soundtrack.