Interview with Anne Nurmi about the "Elodia" album. By "Epopeya" (argentinian magazine) in 1999.

LACRIMOSA

The Diva and the Clown

"Elodia" is the flamboyant sixth Studio album of the band leaded by Tilo Wolff and Anne Nurmi, which is presented as a conceptual work of art that count with the support of the Symphony Orchestra of London. Anne called us from her office in Switzerland, and as we had a premonition of her, she is a graceful and friendly women, owner of a contagious optimism, and between smiles, she told us everything about the new and ambitious album.

Two Phantoms of The Opera

The new album "Elodia" is presented as a "Rock Opera in three acts". Why that presentation?

We had composed two songs before the album, and someone gave us the idea of re-doing them by combining a great orchestra with the normal electric instruments. Recording with a real orchestra was an old dream for us, which in this occasion was the Symphony Orchestra of London, and we were of using the opportunity. We learned a lot of things in the last studio album "Stille", where we worked with complicated arrangements of orchestra.

And why did you use the Symphony Orchestra of London, when you could use a local one?

We wanted to use what was the best for us, and we had listened to a lot of recordings that that orchestra did for other bands, sound bands, that have a great experience, and we like very much the sensitive sound they have, because there is a great amount of great musicians in the orchestra, all of them are very good in their own work. We wanted to try with them, because we think they are one of the best orchestras in the world. And it was sure that we were not satisfied with a second class orchestra, even if we had saved a lot of money. We are absolutely happy with the election we made, since Lacrimosa only chooses the best (laughs).

On the other hand, the album was recorded in the "Abbey Road" studio. How was the experience of using the same place where legends like The Beatles or Pink Floyd created some of their immortal works?

Being in the studio creates a fantastic feeling, you can see all the time the pictures on the wall of all those great men that had been there, and in some way, they are still present. There is an absolutely inspiring atmosphere, totally relaxing. The studio we used was the #1 studio; it is the greatest recording studio, especially designed for recording with great orchestras, as the Symphony Orchestra of London. It was absolutely lovely being there, being a part of the great history of the studio.

And there was the same case that with "The Orchestra". Could you get the best result of it?

Yes, we could do it exactly. This orchestra in combination with this great studio is the best that you can get, of course. Since the studio # 1 has been built especially for recording with great orchestras. You cannot get that quality of sound in any other place.

It must be a great work to join the parts of "The Orchestra" with the Rock instruments. How was all the process?

Tilo composes most of the songs, except for the ones in which I help him or he adds my ideas. He composes with each one of the instruments, since the beginning to the end. Drums, bass, each orchestra’s arrangement, each thing. And then, we go to the studio in order to record the bass and drums, and with that base we travel to London in order to record the orchestra’s arrangements. If you record with sequencers, you will never get exactly the same time than the orchestra, so that, we did all the work in that way. And when we came back we recorded all the other instruments, the guitar, and so on.

Who did the score?

Tilo did everything, except for this, where he was helped by the studio producer in Hamburg, Gottfried Koch. That was the only collaboration he had, since he made the arrangements, the work with the orchestra, and since there he did everything by himself.

Why Tilo use to do all the production work by himself?, in this album in particular, perhaps it would be easier to have someone with another point of view with regard to the managing of everything

Sure, it would be much easier. But he has the perception, the idea, that is easier to handle everything by him, because the music is a great part of him and his personality, and if we were not able to develop all his ideas alone, he would be disliked. He needs liberty to compose without fastenings, and that is why he does everything. In the recording studio, the musicians do not add any thing new, and they are asked for doing his work as near as possible to the Tilo’s plan, and I do not think that he would be happy if he had to leave part of the process of composition in other’s hands. And probably that is the reason why in 1990 he created his own recording studio, Hall Of Sermon, in order to release his own music by himself, in its original form and without any change in the lyrics, cover art, or any thing. Complete and direct to you and that is something he has followed.

What opinion have you received from people who are nearer to the classical music than to Rock music?

First, fortunately we have had response of older people, in certain manner specialized in classic music that have discovered Lacrimosa, and they are absolutely fascinated for the purity and honesty of this recording with the Symphony Orchestra of London. And we also asked some musicians of this orchestra, who played with us, what did they think about our music, and they told us that they were really satisfied about playing this music. It is wonderful to know that the direction we have made attracts the classic music hearing.

A WOMAN WITH WINGS

Now, I want you to address me this central personage of the work that you named "Elodia", and the role she has in the concept

She is a Greek goddess who narrates a love history that is destined to fail. We do not know if she really existed in the Greek mythology, or if she was created after. And she has been part of Lacrimosa since the "Inferno" album; she is the woman with wings in the cover art. And Elodia fits well with the plot of this conceptual album, since she presents the history of two persons whose relationship does not work, who grow in separated directions, and the relationship is being extinguished. In the album, we described the development of the story, how the love can make them feel as in prison, where there is no longer escape. Each one concern in oneself instead of taking care of the needs and wishes of the other, and in this kind of relationship there is a point in which is too late and there is no other exit than separation. And this is what are we narrating in the album.

What a sad story!

Yes, of course. And this story is real, it happened to a pair of closed friends, after a long relationship they suffered the same, and this relationship finished in a very hard manner (Note: At this point, one can ask if the matter is not related with the bond which brings Anne towards Tilo, but it such the matter she has in the conversation that she does not deserve to be inconvenienced with such a question, so I disregarded it).

What is the meaning of the cover art, the clown charging at Elodia?

Symbolizes the abandonment of a place towards another one where there is another kind of time and dimension. There is another opportunity of finding anew out of this world.

And what about the great hall and the different doors?

Each new room is a sort of new dimension. Basically, it symbolizes the different steps in which you are growing and the different places of time which you are reaching.

Now I want you to comment about each song, beginning with the first one, "Am Ende Der Stille", one of the most classics with regard to composition. It was totally Tilo’s inspiration? Or does he take any thing in particular from a compositor?

The compositor that has inspired him the most in his musical career is Mozart. Tilo started this song just after he finishes "Stille", and is like a continuation of that album.

The following song is "Alleine zu Zweit", that for me is one of the most beautiful songs that you have composed, and a potential hit. How has been the reaction of people that do not use to listen to Lacrimosa and find this song?

Thank you. It has attracted the attention of people who do not know our other material, because it is an accessible song, and has been in the radio and chart, the single is being well sold. Perhaps it is because is very pop, the melodies are very attractive, even if you do not speak German. It makes us happy to be listened to by normal people.

Can we tell that "Halt Mitch" combines The Orchestra and the parameters of a Rock song in proportions almost similar; it is in the middle of the two genres?

Yes, it could be, I think so. It is a song very emotional, with the support of the orchestra parts and defining the most important of the song, as well as the lyrics. And yes, it is a harmonic collaboration with the orchestra.

"The Turning Point" has your personal mark. What can you tell us about it?

I wrote that song, and Tilo helped me with the orchestra arrangements. It is about the part of the story where the relationship is already going to a wrong direction, where there is no more life to share, and they only think of coming back on the time, to the part in which everything was better, but at the same time realizing that they cannot continue in that manner. So that, this should end and it should be a solutions, or everything can be ended in something tragic. The song has different sounds. We invited several musicians of the State Opera of Hamburg to the recording studio of that city, in order to have a more intimate atmosphere with sound that we were looking for.

And this song marks the end of the first act. Why that divisions?

It is because of the lyrics, mainly. The first part describes the past and how is the relationship developed. From "The Turning Point", that is a kind of coming back to the good times, is also a breakthrough point of the relationship, and they have to look for something else in order to find a solutions to continue together. From the second act, these two persons begin to separate, and this explains the separation between the two acts.

"Ich Verlasse Heut’ Dein Herz" sounds a little like Jazz at the beginning. Is this intentional?

Yes, it is true. It is a little like Jazz. We love that strong feeling and so, so deep that jazz has, very melancholic, and that is much closed to what we had in mind. For that reason it can sound like jazz.

Why the following song has that title in particular: "Dich Zu Töten Fiel Mir Schwer"?

It describes the end of the relationship, and the feelings begin to be separated, as well as the lives of these two persons, there are no longer reasons to continue living together. When you are living with other person, when you are so closed, part of that person is inside you, so that we describe the separation as a kind of death, and as in part you kill yourself.

"Sanctus" is a requiem, and what I know is that this is a musical piece for a funeral…

Yes, it is. It is after the separation of these two persons, after everything had finished, and this is a kind of death. It is written for those events.

And how the story ends in the last song, "Am Ende Stehen Wir Zweit"?

Here is the description of how there is an opportunity of being together again, after all, after the life on the earth. Finding themselves anew without the limits of a normal life.

As we talk about Opera, do you like to go to them?

Yes, of course. When we were in London, we went several times to "The Phantom of the Opera", for instance, and we go to see as many versions as we can. The operas and the musicals are more interesting for me than theatre.

How do you plan to put on stage the new album?

We arranged all the songs in such a manner that we can play them alive, we changed some instruments, replaced the cords for guitars, and do not think of carrying an orchestra with us. We changed the songs that could be changed, chose those that do not loose their essence. Then, we have normal compositions with bass, drums, guitars, keyboards and two singers. It is something that we always do, change the songs, and we are not taking many songs of this album for the tour, we want to be comfortable on stage, we want to have the liberty of adding or changing parts, that is not possible with an orchestra.

I want to ask you about the name "Lacrimosa", which at least in Spanish sounds like imbued of certain humor and sarcasm. Is that part of the idea?

Not really, "Lacrimosa" comes from Latin and means "tears that flow" (Note: "that provokes tears" or "that fill of tears", will be the correct). And we present the meaning through the clown, which describes the music very well. It’s a kind of happy aspect with a smiling eye and the other one with a tear. Behind the most colored is the most melancholic.

It’s time to end, so I will only ask you for a message to your fans in Argentina.

I only want that all believe in their dreams and follow them, make them real as possible as you can. I hope we will be sooner in Argentina, maybe for the next tour.