Im Winter Ein Jahr
Niki Reiser
" It perfectly captures the sense of loss "Written by Joep de Bruijn - Review of the regular release
Film composers are required to have an eye for the complexities of the human emotions and to realize these musically. He or she talks with the filmmakers about what is needed, trying to get an insight into the drama and of what the characters are going through. This process can be somewhat different when the theme of the film affects the composer personally. Swiss composer Niki Reiser (Liebesleben, Jenseits der Stille..) lost someone dear to him just before he was hired for Im Winter Ein Jahr. The film, directed by Caroline Link, is about the same sort tragedy. It tells the story of a mother who asks an artist to make a portrait of her daughter Lilli and the deceased son. The artist feels the daughter is not doing well and to finish the portrait he needs to know about the bond between the Lilli and her brother. The cd release was dedicated to Reiser's brother Kaspar and the cue ("Lillies Melodie") to his wife Claudia.
Im Winter Ein Jahr is a score drenched in solemn sadness, while containing a portion of relief. It perfectly captures the sense of loss. There's a great emphasis on minimalism writing for guitar, harp, piano and orchestra. Three different types of guitars (concert, electric and acoustic) produce the general atmospheric mood. It's a lot plucking of the snares and Reiser combines them with other (solo) instruments for a more classical approach, but also wrote some excellent cues resembling a very good instrumental pop track.
The theme for Lilly is of an intense beauty and it's the first statement in the cue "Lilli's Melodie" that impresses the most. It makes use of the emphatic female voice of Alev Lenz, who often sings wordless phrases for Reiser's scores. The cd also includes a tango cue that is out of tune with the rest of the music, but nevertheless doesn't fail to impress. It's a bit of a modern update of with electronic beats, but got all the essential elements of a good tango. You can see yourself humming days to come.
If you like other scores by Niki Reiser you can't miss out on Im Winter Ein Jahr. He was rewarded for it with his fourth Lola (German film prize) award for best score. The cd release by Königskinder includes a booklet with interviews with the director, writer of the book and the composer.
Tracklisting
1. Im Winter ein Jahr (3.17)
2. Lillis Melodie (3.10)
3. Aquarium (2.48)
4. Die schöne Gleichgültigkeit (4.11)
5. Tango for Max (5.13)
6. Tanz im Schnee (3.47)
7. Lilli und Aldo (2.17)
8. Herbst (3.07)
9. Die Nacht (3.16)
10. Erinnerungen an Alex (2.39)
11. Das Bild (1.14)
12. Lilli und Aldo (Reprise) (1.21)
Total Length: 36.20
Q&A with Alev Lenz
-----------------------------------
Joep: Can you tell us on which scores you collaborated with Niki Reiser?
Alev Lenz: Im Winter Ein Jahr, Die Wilden Hühner and Maria, ihm schmeckts nicht!.
Joep: How did you meet him in the first place?
Alev Lenz: We met at Bavaria Filmstudios in Munich where I was sitting together with Caroline Link, the director, and Patricia Rommel, the cutter, discussing the voice overdub of Karoline Herfurth. Caroline liked my voice so much and asked me if I would wanted to work together with Niki on some more music for the film. I walked over from the cutting room to the studio and sat together with Niki for a while, playing the piano and singing. We met several more times after that, worked on the melody of the voice, the music was already written, and then came up with a first demo version. Everyone loved it, I went to Basel in Niki s Studio and recorded the songs.
Joep: Describe the process you're going through to when Niki asks you for a score.
Alev Lenz There is not really a fix process we're going through. Niki asks me for what he needs exactly; lyrics or voice... I record vocals with him in Switzerland. We work on some lines together like on "Im Winter ein Jahr" or he already has the melodies ready and wants my voice. Then we record and find the best interpretation together. Lyrics wise I come up with a suggestion. I send him lyrics via Email. Once I recorded lyrics over my phone and sent him that via MMS Message on the run. That was very modern.
Visit her website: www.alevlenz.com
Im Winter Ein Jahr is a score drenched in solemn sadness, while containing a portion of relief. It perfectly captures the sense of loss. There's a great emphasis on minimalism writing for guitar, harp, piano and orchestra. Three different types of guitars (concert, electric and acoustic) produce the general atmospheric mood. It's a lot plucking of the snares and Reiser combines them with other (solo) instruments for a more classical approach, but also wrote some excellent cues resembling a very good instrumental pop track.
The theme for Lilly is of an intense beauty and it's the first statement in the cue "Lilli's Melodie" that impresses the most. It makes use of the emphatic female voice of Alev Lenz, who often sings wordless phrases for Reiser's scores. The cd also includes a tango cue that is out of tune with the rest of the music, but nevertheless doesn't fail to impress. It's a bit of a modern update of with electronic beats, but got all the essential elements of a good tango. You can see yourself humming days to come.
If you like other scores by Niki Reiser you can't miss out on Im Winter Ein Jahr. He was rewarded for it with his fourth Lola (German film prize) award for best score. The cd release by Königskinder includes a booklet with interviews with the director, writer of the book and the composer.
Tracklisting
1. Im Winter ein Jahr (3.17)
2. Lillis Melodie (3.10)
3. Aquarium (2.48)
4. Die schöne Gleichgültigkeit (4.11)
5. Tango for Max (5.13)
6. Tanz im Schnee (3.47)
7. Lilli und Aldo (2.17)
8. Herbst (3.07)
9. Die Nacht (3.16)
10. Erinnerungen an Alex (2.39)
11. Das Bild (1.14)
12. Lilli und Aldo (Reprise) (1.21)
Total Length: 36.20
Q&A with Alev Lenz
-----------------------------------
Joep: Can you tell us on which scores you collaborated with Niki Reiser?
Alev Lenz: Im Winter Ein Jahr, Die Wilden Hühner and Maria, ihm schmeckts nicht!.
Joep: How did you meet him in the first place?
Alev Lenz: We met at Bavaria Filmstudios in Munich where I was sitting together with Caroline Link, the director, and Patricia Rommel, the cutter, discussing the voice overdub of Karoline Herfurth. Caroline liked my voice so much and asked me if I would wanted to work together with Niki on some more music for the film. I walked over from the cutting room to the studio and sat together with Niki for a while, playing the piano and singing. We met several more times after that, worked on the melody of the voice, the music was already written, and then came up with a first demo version. Everyone loved it, I went to Basel in Niki s Studio and recorded the songs.
Joep: Describe the process you're going through to when Niki asks you for a score.
Alev Lenz There is not really a fix process we're going through. Niki asks me for what he needs exactly; lyrics or voice... I record vocals with him in Switzerland. We work on some lines together like on "Im Winter ein Jahr" or he already has the melodies ready and wants my voice. Then we record and find the best interpretation together. Lyrics wise I come up with a suggestion. I send him lyrics via Email. Once I recorded lyrics over my phone and sent him that via MMS Message on the run. That was very modern.
Visit her website: www.alevlenz.com