''X'' is the tenth album by
Klaus Schulze
Klaus Schulze (4 August 1947 – 26 April 2022) was a German electronic music pioneer, composer and musician. He also used the alias Richard Wahnfried and was a member of the Krautrock bands Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, and The Cosmic Jokers ...
. It was originally released in 1978, and in 2005 was the fifth Schulze album reissued by
Revisited Records.
Composition
On ''X'' Schulze attempted to execute a concept album of six "musical biographies" evoking contemporary or historical intellectuals with an influence on Schulze:
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...
,
Georg Trakl
Georg Trakl (3 February 1887 – 3 November 1914) was an Austrian poet and the brother of the pianist Grete Trakl. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists. He is perhaps best known for his poem " Grodek", which he wr ...
,
Frank Herbert,
Friedemann Bach,
Ludwig II. von Bayern, and
Heinrich von Kleist
Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist (18 October 177721 November 1811) was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, short story writer and journalist. His best known works are the theatre plays '' Das Käthchen von Heilbronn'', ''The Broken Jug'', ''Amph ...
. (In
Ludwig II. von Bayern Schulze uses a theme borrowed from the third movement of
Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widesprea ...
's Concerto No. 11 in D minor (RV565) for 2 violins, cello and strings.) The work is from the classic era of
Berlin School.
For two of the tracks, "Friedemann Bach" and "Ludwig II. von Bayern" (as well as the first few minutes of "Heinrich von Kleist") Schulze recorded a modest string orchestra and looped them on tape. He had done this in 1972 on his first solo album, ''
Irrlicht'', but this time he did not filter the orchestra beyond recognition. On following releases Schulze employed a cello, particularly on ''
Dune''. "Objet d'Louis", the bonus track on the 2005 reissue, is a 1978 live version of "Ludwig II. von Bayern" with a complete orchestra, recorded while Schulze was on a tour in Belgium.
[''X'' CD booklet]
Schulze later reworked and in 2000 reissued the original versions of "Friedrich Nietzsche" and "Georg Trakl" as "Crazy Nietzsche" and "Discover Trakl" on the compilation CD "The Ultimate Edition" disc 47 titled "Discoveries".
Track listing
All tracks composed by Klaus Schulze.
Disc 1
Disc 2
Personnel
* Klaus Schulze – electronics, percussion (on "Friedemann Bach" and "Heinrich von Kleist")
*
Harald Grosskopf – drum kit ("Friedrich Nietzsche", "Georg Trakl", "Frank Herbert", "Friedemann Bach")
* Wolfgang Tiepold – cello (on "Friedemann Bach", "Heinrich von Kleist"), conductor (on "Ludwig II. von Bayern" and "Objet d'Louis")
* B. Dragić – solo violin (on "Friedemann Bach")
* Small string orchestra from Orchester des Hessischen Rundfunks
violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos, 1 contrabass(on "Friedemann Bach", "Ludwig II. von Bayern")
* Large string orchestra of young Belgian musicians (on "Objet d'Louis")
References
External links
''X''at the official site of Klaus Schulze
*
{{Authority control
Klaus Schulze albums
1978 albums