HÖLDERLINS TRAUM

Emerging alongside the lysergically-tinged Krautrock scene of Germany's late 60s and early 70s was a less dynamic but equally compelling Kraut-folk movement which found bands like Yatha Sidhra, Tomorrow's Gift, Gila, Emtidi, Popol Vuh and Sand saturating themselves in the same psychedelic freakery as their heavier rock counterparts but expressed their escapism in a softer folk-based medium. The Wuppertal based HÖLDERLIN was one such act that was formed by the brothers Joachim and Christian von Grumbkow along with Christian's wife Nanny DeRuig. While taking on increasing elements of symphonic prog after Nanny's departure after the debut album, on the band's first offering HÖLDERLINS TRAUM which emerged in 1972, the band was on pure progressive folk mode steeped in psychedelia and acoustic instrumentation with DeRuig's feminine vocal charm. The band took its name from the poet Friedrich Hölderlin.

Comparisons to early Renaissance have been made but HÖLDERLIN sounded uniquely German mostly due to the fact that unlike the majority of other bands of the day chose to use the German language for its lyrical output. The band featured a rich tapestry of sounds with Christian Grumbkow on guitars, Joachim Grumbkow handling cello, acoustic guitar, transverse flute, piano, organ and mellotron, Christoph Noppeney brought to life the violin, viola, flute and piano with Peter Käseberg on bass, acoustic guitar and vocals along with drummer / percussionist Michael Bruchmann. In addition three guest musicians add touches of sitar, tablas and the recorder. The seven songs featured added up to about 35 minutes of playing time and displayed a very charming diverse yet cohesive mix of atmospheric symphonic rock, medieval folk, progressive rock and psychedelia.

The album was heralded by critics for being extremely unique and in many regards its was. Despite being fixated on a progressive folk trajectory, the album featured a much wider array of instrumentation than the usual prog folk album and featured very complex arrangements and to make it even more unique in the English language marketplace, all lyrics were performed in the German language but despite that the album received excellent reviews from the music press in both Europe and the USA. Apparently the intoxicating blend of lush acoustic guitars with strings, woodwinds soaked in mellotron was the perfect soundtrack for that idyllic fusion of folk, classical and rock. The grand finale was the knotty prog-rich "Traum" which offered the most demanding workouts of the entire album as DeRuig stepped out of the singing spotlight in exchange for a bonafide instrumental assault of the senses, a most satisfying conclusion to a beautifully constructed album.

While being cited as a unique contribution to the world of German progressive music, that would be true even within the band's own discography because lead singer Nanny DeRuig would exit the band after this album due to her pregnancy and after a three year break due to a meltdown with management, HÖLDERLIN returned with a completely revamped style that focused less on the folky aspects and more on the world of symphonic prog including a deemphasis of the vocal aspects. The band also took on a more British sound leaving this drifting debut to exist in a world all its own. While never repeated, this first album delivered an excellent slice of sophisticated prog folk embellished by occasional heavier rock elements. DeRuig performed the perfect vocals for the style and the musicians played together seamlessly with clever intricately designed composiitons. Definitely a highlight of the so-called Kraut-folk scene of the 1970s.