Swing from Berlin (3) Kurt Widmann - Wenn der Weisse Flieder wieder blüht (1940)

This is another great rendition by Kurt Widmann and his orchestra. The classic "Wenn der weisse Flieder wieder blüht" by Franz Doelle has been completely reworked to fit the elegant style of his orchestra...

The song "Wenn der weisse Flieder wieder blüht", composed by Franz Doelle, was an enormous hit of the 1929 season and was equally popular in France, where it was called "Quand refleuriront les lilas blancs" and recorded by the popular Fred Gouin... In English the song became "When the lilacs bloom again"... In Sweden the song became Zarah Leander's signature tune as she sang "Vill ne se en stjärna?" (Do you want to see a star?) in a musical revue...

It was recorded again by Widmann and his orchestra during the war (1940). At the beginning of this video you will see original sheet music of the French version of the song (from personal collection).

This video shows the city of Berlin in the late 1920s/early 1930s when this song was on everybody's lips and those same streets after 1945 when this song once again became popular it was also at that time that this recording was re-released. In 1953 the song was even used as the title of a movie starring Romy Schneider, her mother Magda Schneider and Willy Fritsch.

Kurt Widmann (1906-54) started his career in 1933 at the Imperator Hotel in Berlin... His quitett and it swing repertoire soon became very popular but also attracted the attention of nazi censors who warned him several times against playing "entartete Musik". He made his first recordings in 1938 and that same year played with his band at the Haus Vaterland, an enormous entertainment complex at the Potsdamer Platz. The would stay there until 1942 when he was drafted into the wehrmacht. He was released due to injuries in 1944 and returned to the partially destroyed Haus Vaterland which know housed soldiers on their way to the front. There - in front of an enthusiastic crowd - Widmann played pure swing music - even forbidden titels... This time the censors closed their eyes... After the war Widmann formed a band and entertained American troops. He started started recording again as soon as 1946... He died of a brain hemorrhage in 1954. He was the only German bandleader whose life was the subject of a biographical movie : "Musik im Blut", released in 1955.

For other great Widmann recordings from my channel :

Warum, Weshalb, Wieso?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzQhlnOs0aE

Woran liegt's, dass ich Dir nicht gefalle?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAXsiDsK_4Y

For another Kurt Widmann recording (with Rudi Schuricke) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAXsiDsK_4Y

About the record :

Imperial 17342 /mx. Kc28301

Thanks to Dairyman716 for the info concerning recording dates for the Imperial/Kristall Label.
This is a post-war re-release (white label).
Another great flea market find

Transferred without modification.

Sound equipment used :
Shure M78S Cartridge & N78S stylus
Turntable : Stanton T.90
TerraTec 78RPM Phono Pre-amp

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However whether this function works will depend on your Internet connection and the abilities of your computer (your screen may freeze).

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• Swing
• 78rpm
• Kurt
• Widmann
• Wenn
• der
• weisse
• Flieder
• wieder
• blüht
• Hot
• Foxtrot
• Imperial
• Schallplatten
• Franz
• Doelle
• Berlin
• 1940
• Jazz
• Schellack
• Schellac
• Haus
• Vaterland
• 30er
• Jahre
• 1945
• Alexanderplatz
• Unter
• den
• Linden
• Friedrichstrasse
• Quand
• refleuriront
• les
• lilas
• blancs
• When
• the
• Lilacs
• bloom
• again

[lecomtedalport]

Leider, aber das ist an vielen schönen Orten so; Wien,Paris,London,Chicago,New York,Zürich, sogar Bern,Lausanne,Montreux..Nicht alle dieser Städte werden von idealistischen Weltfremden regiert-es ist ein westliches Problem. Es wurden zuviele Menschen aus unterentwickelten Ländern, auch aus dem alten Europa,hereingelassen,und es wurde zuwenig darauf geachtet,dass sich diese Menschen auch assimilieren. So sind zu rasch zu viele Sub-Kulturen entstanden,die den Städten nicht gut getan haben..

[Holzmischa]

Absolut sehenswert, dass es auch in harten Zeiten Harmonie und Zusammenhalt gab. Na, da war man halt Gott sei Dank noch unter sich, ohne Zwangstoleranz für alles und jeden.

[DntKillKenny]

@Holzmischa die Grenzen der eigenen Toleranz, sind die Grenzen die man seinem Geist auferlegt

[MrAndylil]

what a wonderful city it was probably, once upon a time.

[MrTahirovic]

Kaum zu glauben wie naiv manche Leute sind.......

So mancher schreibt wie: Zusammenhalt und blabla........... nur hat man vergesse das gleichzeitig die KZ für die Vernichtung von Juden, Sozialisten, Kommunisten, Homosexuellen und anders denken errichtet und betrieben wurden.... Wir müssen Gott dafür danken das wir in einer Zeit mit genügen Essen, Sicherheit und Tolleranz leben. Man stelle sich vor, mitten in der Nacht wird man von Sirenen erweckt -- Todesangst pur

[TheIloveberlin]

Besonders bei 1:00 spührt man das Tempo der 20er, 30er und 40er Jahre in Berlin

[Egsch35]

Kaum zu glauben, das in den 30er Jahren des vorigen Jahrhunderts auf den Straßen von Berlin so viele Autos fuhren.

[jerzeyrunnerflash]

@atirisdes Well I was talking about the art, culture and music, but yea, if you want to take it there.

[atirisdes]

nice video. nice rubble too!

[atirisdes]

@jerzeyrunnerflash wonderful! to walk the street not knowing if a bomb would blow your ass off the next second!

[Holzmischa]

Erleichterung, endlich den Krieg überstanden zu haben. Noch kein Zwangs-Multi-Kulti-Muff, kein abgestandenes und indoktriniertes Tätervolkgedöns (kollektive Schuld von Zivilisten) und manipulative Ewigkeits-Schuldaufarbeitung, kein lähmendes PC, keine finsteren Klein-Anatolien-Anblicke an jeder Ecke, keine Import-bildungsfernen Schichten, keine herausgetriebenen Sekundärtugenden. Kurz und einfach: es waren noch Menschen mit Kultur und natürlichem Hang zur Lebensfreude und zivilen Zusammenhalt.