Der COHENPEDIA – Blog auf www.leonardcohen.de # (seit 1 9 9 6 !!! ) # – Willkommen zu Christof Graf s COHENPEDIA – LEONARD COHEN – Blog ist seit 1.9.2014 online. Der COHENPEDIA-Blog ist anlässlich Leonard Cohens 80. Geburtstag am 21.9.2014 und seinem zu diesem Datum veröffentlichten Spätwerk "Popular Problems" entstanden. Der COHENPEDIA – Blog ist eine Subdomain zur seit 1996 bestehenden ersten deutschsprachigen Website (www.leonardcohen.de) über Leonard Cohen sowie der damit verlinkten WWW.COHENPEDIA.DE.
The first chapter, called „Book Of Marillion“, is dedicated to the British progressive rock band „Marillion“, which has a special relationship with Leonard Cohen’s city of Montreal. On the one hand, they have been celebrating their so-called „Marillion Weekends“ there since the early 2000s. On the other hand, they even dedicated a song, „Montreal“, to their esteemed city, which also refers to Leonard Cohen. Last but not least, the entire „Marillion Weekend“ in 2023 was dedicated to Leonard Cohen, as her current album at the time „An Hour Before Ist Dark“ included the Tribute To Leonard Cohen song „The Crow And The Nightingale“, a kind of declaration of love from singer Steve Hogarth to Leonard Cohen.
From March 28 to 30, 2025, a three-day Marillion Weekend will once again take place at Montreal’s Olympia. Montreal is the city where the festival still takes place for three consecutive days.
Das erste Kapitel, „Book Of Marillion“ genannt, widmet sich der britischen Progressive Rockband „Marillion“, die eine besondere Beziehung zu Leonard Cohens Stadt Montreal hat. Zum einen feiern sie dort seit Beginn der 2000er Jahre ihre sogenannten „Marillion Weekends“. Zum anderen widmeten Sie gar einen Song, „Montreal“ ihrer geschätzten Stadt, in dem auch Bezug auf Leonard Cohen genommen wird. Zuguterletzt stand im jahr 2023 das gesamte „Marillion Weekend“ im Zeichen von Leonard Cohen, da ihr damaliges aktuelles Album „An Hour Before Ist Dark“, den Tribute To Leonard Cohen – Song „The Crow And The Nightingale“ behinhaltete, eine Art Liebeserklärung von Sänger Steve Hogarth an Leonard Cohen.
Vom 28. Bis 30. März 2025 findet im Montrealer Olympia wieder ein dreitägiges Marillion Weekend statt. Montreal ist die Stadt, in der das Festival nach wie vor an drei aufeinanderfolgenden Tagen stattfindet.
The second chapter, called „Book Of Montreal“, is dedicated to the so-called COHEN PLACES in Montreal, i.e. the places in the Canadian metropolis that have a special relationship with Leonard Cohen, such as his parents‘ house, later home, his university, cafes he had attended, etc.
Concerts by the Canadian singer, composer and songwriter Rufus Wainwright are always also devotions, as one pays attention not only to his virtuoso piano playing, to his voluminous voice, but also to the words sung and said between the songs. Everything is of the highest quality: the songs, the Steinway grand piano, the light, the sound and the suit of Rufus Wainwright. Wainwright loves the staging of himself and this includes the first three songs („Agnus Die“, „Montauk“ and „Vibrate“) on the keys and the two following „Sanssouci“ and „He Loved (from Hadrian)“ on the strings. It quickly becomes clear once again how much Wainwright knows how to merge pop and classical music. This is probably also a reason why the curators of the „Zeltival“, – a cultural summer event of the Karlsruhe Tollhaus – have been courting a performance by the Canadian for years. In the 40th anniversary year of the Zeltival, the time had come, Wainwright agreed, says Sebastian Bau, spokesman for the Zeltival.
In the heat of a hot July summer day, the audience appreciates this. The concert hall is sold out and celebrates Wainwright for his melange of sometimes contrived, sometimes only theatrical drama. He knows how to reward the enthusiasm with an invitation to a journey through his musical hourvre. He presents classics such as „Gay Messiah“ as well as excerpts from his operas („Ready For Battle“). „I made my second opera. I love saying this. ’second opera‘,“ Wainwright is eloquent, sympathetic but also self-deprecatingly talkative. „It was all very artistic and a financial disaster. Which is pretty much my thing.“ Wainwright also introduces a new song titled „Old Song (Early Morning Madness)“. Then he picks up the guitar and shouts: „It’s Time To Sing A Leonard Cohen Song“ and interprets „So Long Marianne“ with such a powerful voice and vehemence as if he wanted to say that if Leonard Cohen hadn’t written this song, he would have composed it himself. What not everyone knows: Rufus Wainwright is the father of Leonard Cohen’s granddaughter Viva. Before his marriage to his husband, the German-American Jörn Weisbrodt, Rufus Wainwright was in a relationship with Cohen’s daughter Lorca Cohen and had a daughter Viva (13) with Lorca.
After the Cohen tribute follows „Poses“, the title song of his second studio album from 2001. This song stands for Wainwright’s art of wrapping metaphorical lyrics into sociable melodies. „Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk“ is a second song from the „Poses“ album and the last one before the encore. Especially with these two songs it becomes clear that Rufus Wainwright likes to write music for the big stage: deep, dynamic and imposing.
The first encore is „Going To A Town“, where he sings „I’m so tired of you America“ and points to the upcoming election campaign scenario in the fall of 2024 in the United States. This is followed by a second Leonard Cohen cover: „Hallelujah“. He has already performed this in several flash mob versions and at the Karlsruhe Zeltival 2024 he also knows how to animate his audience to listen reverently and at the same time sing along enthusiastically. His full beard has given way to a gray sideburn, but his elegant appearance has remained. His presence is immense even without a backing band or orchestra. Rufus Wainwright loves dramatic theatricality with depth and chic and intones a cover of Jean Renoir with „La Complainte De La Butte“ as the last song in the tradition of his usual noble, subtle, impressive way. Da Capo, Rufus Wainwright.
Setlist at Kulturzentrum Tollhaus, Karlsruhe, Germany, 11th of July 2024
„The charts have a much-publicized newcomer near the top, but vampy pop chanteuse Lana Del Rey is a distant No. 2. … Adele once again leads the top of the U.S. pop charts. Her ‘21,’ in week No. 50, sold 122,000 copies. …Elsewhere in the top-10, Leonard Cohen’s ‘Old Ideas’ bows at No. 3, having sold 41,000 copies. The 12th studio album from the legendary artist is his best-ever sales week since SoundScan began tracking music sales data in 1991, reports Billboard.
