The story of the groups formation is legendary and has been told in many articles and interviews before. In 1991, Michael Popp and Ernst Horn developed the concept of combining medieval melodies and songs with electronic music. As singer they chose Syrah, alias Sigrid Hausen, who is one of the leading interpreters of medieval music. Contrary to many of her colleagues, she had the courage as well as the power for musical border crossing and therefore was very open-minded to the idea of doing Crossovers. At that time, the term crossover was used in independent music very often intending to change traditional listening habits with new musical-stilistical combinations. Thus the trio was founded but without a name yet.
Shortly after Syrah joined the band, she dreamt of letters written on the wall reading QNTAL, a word that does not exist in any language, and therefore being perfect for a kind of music that did not exist so far either.
Soon afterwards, the first song was published: "Por mau tens" a song from troubadour Thibaut of Navarra in a new arrangement, strongly influenced by an unfortunately totally forgotten noise band called My Bloody Valentine. Afterwards, QNTAL lay aside for a while, because other more commercial projects came along and last not least because the reaction of so-called experts was not really over-excited.
But in 1992 time was ripe: until then Syrah had searched for more texts and tunes, one song or the other was borrowed from the repertoire of Estampie, composed and arranged by Michael Popp and Ernst Horn and, finally, in autumn the album QNTAL was released without big advertisement or promotion. It was more of a secondary project to the musicians and thus it came as a great surprise that the album was a hit in the wave-scene. But also other listeners were soon admirers and lovers of QNTAL.
The song Ad mortem festinamus has been a club hit for years now. However, it was the quiet, melancholy songs that enthused many listeners and that brought QNTAL on the same level with Dead Can Dance. In fact, the three musicians had agreed upon not going live on stage with QNTAL as they thought that the mood of the music could not be presented in a live concert. But in 1995, when the second CD was finished and Deine Lakaien were about to go on tour (Ernst Horn and Michael Popp were members of this band), the idea of a double concert was born. QNTAL as first act with smooth transition to Deine Lakaien. There were two tours held in this constellation in 1996 with overwhelming success. The Palestine Song became QNTAL IIs hit, but like QNTAL the whole CD sounds like on piece. The style has been developed further but the expression of the music and especially Syrahs voice touched the fans hearts even more than before.
Still, there was no direct follow-up to this success as Ernst Horn wanted to primarily care for the progress of Deine Lakaien. For this and also for private reasons, Ernst left the band. Replacement was found in the Berlin musician and producer Phillip Groth, who had made a name for himself with Berlin Vielklang publishing company and its labels. Grown up in a family where classical music was important, he easily understood QNTALs special music. Already the first attempts to arrange and produce showed that Phil was the right man. Certainly, the musical scene has developed during the past decade and especially the music. However, the basic concept and the temper of the music remain the same, only medieval texts are sung, and the electronic arrangements have occasional shades of medieval instruments.
On Pentecost 2002, QNTAL made its first appearance since 1996 during a Wave-Gothic Meeting. Although the concert took place on the outskirts of the festival area and Syrahs vocal chords suffered from a cold, the great number of the audience and its reaction showed how close this band was the their hearts. Buy QNTAL IV: Ozymandias today!
[Deutsch:]
Purpurea
Veröffentlichung: 31.10.2008
Als QNTAL 1992 ihr Debütalbum vorlegten war bereits zu spüren, dass man es hier mit einer
Formation zu tun hatte, die die Musiklandschaft prägen wird. Mit dem Doppel Best Of Album
„Purpurea" legt das Trio nun eine wunderbare Retrospektive vor, in hochwertiger Verpackung und
voll gepackt mit allen Highlights und Remixen der letzten Jahre. Mitstreiter der Szene, Musiker,
Journalisten und Fans verneigen sich vor einer Band, die vieles verändert hat und zur Speerspitze
einer musikalischen Bewegung wurde. Berührend fast, wie sich renommierte Musiker zu QNTAL
äußern:
„QNTAL lädt zum Träumen, zum Tanzen und zum Feiern ein. Möge Fortuna stets mit ihnen sein"
Castus & Jordan (Corvus Corax)
„Die hohe kompositorische Qualität, die Verwendung alter Sprachen und nicht zuletzt die
hervorragende Sängerin machen jedes Hören zum Erlebnis." Asis Nasseri (Haggard)
„Für mich einer der überzeugendsten Ansätze, alte mit neuer Musik zu verbinden. Schade, dass
unsere Vorfahren aus dem Mittelalter es nicht hören können, sie würden es bestimmt großartig
finden - so wie ich." Birgit Muggenthaler (Schandmaul / Sava)
„Der Alltag ist vergessen, fasziniert folgt man Syrahs betörender Stimme in andere Sphären, fühlt
sich dabei frei und geborgen, kann loslassen und sich völlig in den Klängen verlieren. Musiker, die
das vermögen sind wahre Zauberer..." Sonja Kraußhofer (L'Âme Immortelle / Persephone)
Die Moderne ins Mittelalter und das Mittelalter in die Moderne zu tragen – dieser Ansatz zeichnet
das Schaffen von QNTAL aus, seit Michael Popp und Syrah, beide Absolventen des Mozarteums in
Salzburg, die Band 1991 zusammen mit Ernst Horn ins Leben rufen. Beide hatten sich während des
Studiums eingehend mit alter Musik befasst. Im Anschluss war Michael Popp als freier
Theatermusiker und –komponist am Wiener Burgtheater oder den Münchner Kammerspielen tätig
und dort wie in der freien Theaterszene an zahlreichen Inszenierungen beteiligt, zudem als Live-
Gitarrist und Mittelalterinstrumentalist mit Ernst Horn bei DEINE LAKAIEN aktiv und gemeinsam mit
Syrah und ESTAMPIE mit einer eigenen Interpretation mittelalterlicher Musik befasst.
Nun also QNTAL. Der Brückenschlag zwischen Historie und Avantgarde. Erste Erfolge lassen nicht
lange auf sich warten. Mit „Ad Mortem Festinamus" vom Debüt „QNTAL I" kann die Band einen
ersten Clubhit verzeichnen. „QNTAL II" legt mit Walter von der Vogelweides „Palästinalied" nach.
Das Trio begnügt sich nicht damit, mittelalterliches mit Beats aufzupeppen. QNTAL vermitteln
Gefühls- und Gedankenwelten, die für das 12. und das 21. Jahrhundert Gültigkeit besitzen: Liebe,
Trauer, Sehnsucht, Schönheit, Transzendenz. Wie das Glasornament in der gotischen Architektur
bildet die Musik von QNTAL einen Fokus von hoher suggestiver Kraft. Das Austreten aus dem Alltag
ist für den Hörer am Ende ebenso möglich, wie die Auseinandersetzung mit der eigenen Realität.
Gemeinsam mit dem für Ernst Horn zur Band gestoßenen Produzenten und Keyboarder Philipp
Groth widmen sich QNTAL im Jahr 2003 dem Sagenkreis um Tristan und Isolde. Ein Zuwachs an
klanglichen Details und die Verdichtung der einzelnen Stücke zu einem Konzeptalbum setzen neue
Maßstäbe. Auch vom Erfolg her: „QNTAL III" erreicht Platz 2 der Deutschen Alternative Charts. Die
Magie der Live-Auftritte von QNTAL dokumentiert eine erste DVD, die einen Konzertmitschnitt aus
dem Leipziger Schauspielhaus enthält.
Auf „QNTAL IV – Ozymandias" weitet die Band im Anschluss den zeitlichen Horizont ihres
musikalischen Universums aus, indem sie ein Gedicht des englischen Romantikers Percy Shelley
vertont, mit dem Lautenlied „Flow" die Renaissance und mit Henry Purcells Arie „Remember Me"
das Zeitalter des Barock mit einbezieht. Der Kern des QNTAL-Stils bleibt jedoch unangetastet. Mit
den Neuerungen geht die Verfeinerung alter Stärken einher. Resultat: die Single „Cupido" steigt bis
auf Platz 1 der Deutschen Alternative Charts.
„QNTAL V – Silver Swan" schließlich ist eine epische Reise durch eine andere Wirklichkeit. Ein
Filmscore ohne Film, sieht man vom stimmungsvollen Videoclip zu „Von den Elben" ab. Hier
kommen QNTAL dem Ziel einer neu erschaffenen alten Musik ganz nahe. Doch die andere, die
elektronische Seite ist nur einen Schulterblick entfernt. Auch auf grafischer Seite wurde erstmal ein
anderer Weg beschritten und mit dem weltberühmten Fantasy-Künstler Brian Froud
zusammengearbeitet.
„QNTAL VI – Translucida" führt hingegen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart gleich im doppelten Sinne
zusammen: Im Hinblick auf die Geschichte und in Bezug auf die Biografie der Band. Der Feenwelt
wir der Rücken zugekehrt. Glockenhelle Sounds bringen auf „Translucida" die Wurzeln der Band
wieder ans Licht. Statt großer Gesten dominiert schlichte Eleganz. Durchsichtige Arrangements
lenken die Aufmerksamkeit ganz auf Syrahs facettenreichen Gesang, dem sich diesmal keine
chorischen Passagen hinzugesellen.
6 Longplayer, beinahe 18 Jahre, sozusagen volljährig. Zeit für eine Werkschau, für eine Best Of -
die „Purpurea" präsentiert sich in voller Blüte!
[English:]
Purpurea
Release: October 31st, 2008
When they brought out their debut album in 1992, their first recording left no doubt that QNTAL
were an act who would leave their mark on the music landscape. Their double best-of release
"Purpurea" sees the trio present a wonderful retrospective, in premium packaging and full to the
brim with all the highlights and remixes of their career to date. Combatants of the scene,
journalists and fans bow to a band who have changed a lot and have become the spearheads of a
musical movement. It's almost touching to read the comments that renowned musicians have
made on the subject of QNTAL:
"Qntal invite you to dream, dance and party. May Dame Fortune always be with them." Castus &
Jordan (Corvus Corax)
"Their demanding compositional standards, use of ancient languages and not least their brilliant
female vocalist always make listening to their music an experience." Asis Nasseri (Haggard)
"To me one of the most convincing approaches of combining old and new music. It's a shame that
our predecessors from the Middle Ages can't hear this music, they would have loved it - just like I
do." Birgit Muggenthaler (Schandmaul / Sava)
"You can leave everyday life behind, follow Syrah's beguiling voice with fascination, feeling free and
secure, able to let go and lose yourself totally in the sound. Musicians who achieve this effect are
true magicians …" Sonja Kraußhofer (L'âme Immortelle / Persephone)
Transporting modern times to the middle ages and the middle ages to modern times – this
approach has marked QNTAL's work since Michael Popp and Syrah, both alumni of the Mozarteum
University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Salzburg, Austria, founded the band together with Ernst
Horn in 1991. Both had delved deeply into old music during their studies. Michael Popp
subsequently worked for the Burgtheater in Vienna and the Kammerspiele in Munich as a freelance
theatre musician and composer. In both venues and on the independent theatre scene, he was
involved in a number of productions, and – alongside Ernst Horn – played as a live guitarist and
medieval instrumentalist with DEINE LAKAIEN. Together with Syrah and ESTAMPIE, Popp worked
on his own interpretation of medieval music.
And now there is QNTAL. An arc between history and avant-garde. It did not take long for the
band's first success to arrive, "Ad Mortem Festinamus" from their debut album, "QNTAL I", being
their first club hit. "QNTAL II" went one step further with Walter von der Vogelweide's
"Palästinalied". The trio were not satisfied with simply pepping up medieval sounds with
contemporary beats. QNTAL transport worlds of emotion and thoughts that apply to the 12th just as
much as to the 21st century: love, mourning, longing, beauty, transcendence. Like those glass
ornaments in Gothic architecture, QNTAL's music forms a focus with great suggestive power. In the
end, stepping out of everyday life is just as easy for the listener as a reflection of their own reality.
Together with producer and keyboardist Philipp Groth, who has joined the band to replace Ernst
Horn, QNTAL devoted themselves to the group of sagas surrounding Tristan and Iseult in 2003. An
increase in sonic detail and the consolidation of the individual songs in a concept album set new
standards – also in terms of commercial success: "QNTAL III" made no. 2 in the German
alternative charts. The magic of QNTAL's live shows was captured on their first DVD release,
featuring footage from the Leipzig Playhouse.
"QNTAL IV – Ozymandias" saw the band expand the temporal horizon of their musical universe,
setting to music a poem by the English romantic poet, Percy Shelley, including the renaissance with
the lute song, "Flow", and the baroque era with Henry Purcell's aria, "Remember Me". The heart of
QNTAL's style, however, has remained unaffected. Innovations have been accompanied by a
refinement of old strengths, with the result that the single, "Cupido" went to no. 1 in the German
alternative charts.
"QNTAL V – Silver Swan", finally, was an epic journey through another reality. A movie score
without a movie, unless you count the atmospheric "Von den Elben" video clip. QNTAL have come
very close to their target of newly created old music. But the other, the electronic side, always
remains but a shoulder check away. In terms of graphic design, QNTAL also opted for another path
and collaborated with the globally renowned fantasy artist, Brian Froud.
"QNTAL VI – Translucida", by contrast, brings past and present together in two respects: in terms
of the band's history as well as their biography. They have turned their backs on the world of
pixies. Clear-as-bells sounds allow their roots to come to light again on "Translucida". Instead of
great gestures, classy elegance prevails. Translucent arrangements focus the listeners' attention on
Syrah's multi-faceted vocals, which are not supported by choral passages this time.
6 albums, almost 18 years, practically a coming-of-age. Time for a retrospective, for a best-of -
"Purpurea" presents itself in full bloom!
hello!thank you so much for the add!!I love your music!!!I already know Estampie and like them a lot;-) and I will have a look at Vocamea,I'm sure that I will like them,too!!I would like to see you live in Greece sometime!!:-)
CAVE NOBLESSE: SA. 4.7.09, 20:00, KIR, HAMBURG. CD-RELEASE-PARTY OBERER TOTPUNKT, DJ BRUNO KRAMM, DJ SVEN ENZELMANN & GOTHIC-MODENSCHAU COLOURS & FEEFASHION
Tribal Area #10, jetzt am Bahnhofskiosk! MILLENCOLIN wollen Angeln gehen + Machine 15 - THE BOTTROPS spielen ihren neuen Sandalen-Film 'Die Grossen Der Geschichte' DIE METEORS werden verhaftet in Disneyland + Fire Fire - COMEBACK KID wollen das Haus nicht verlassen + Wake The Dead - THE BRIGGS haben Darmprobleme + This Is LA - PROPAGANDHI mˆgen fleischfrein Thrash Metal + Supporting Caste - KREATOR sind Kulturhauptstadt + Warcurse - PEOPLE LIKE YOU REC. feiern Geburtstag und pubertieren nun mit den BROILERS, PASCAL BRIGGS, DEEP EYNDE UND PETER PAN - DIE KASSIERER asseln an 'Oi! the Tresen' in Wattenscheid + Das Schlimmste Ist, Wenn Das Bier Alle Ist - DIE ADOLESCENTS inspiriert vom Abwasser aus Disneyland. + Kids Of The Black Hole - DEAN DIRG sind Querulanten und werden daf¸r belohnt + Raus - REAGAN YOUTH wollen allen zeigen, wie guter Hardcorepunk wirklich geht + Degenerated - Die STREET DOGS wollten Feuerwehrmann werden + Kevin J. O'Toole - FUGAZI wollten mal die weite Welt sehen + Waiting Room + Bad Mouth - Die FAKE PROBLEMS haben feuchte Schuhe und einen Action-Film: The Dream Team - SICK OF IT ALL bauen eine Todesmauer und d¸rfen nicht in Malaysia spielen + Die Alone
und vieles mehr...
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