Klaus Hoffmann
Klaus Hoffmann (actually: Klaus -Dieter Hoffmann, born March 26, 1951 in Berlin ) is a German singer, actor, author and songwriter.
- 4.1 LPs / CDs
Life
Klaus Hoffmann was born as the only child of the financial officers Erich and the factory worker Waldtraud Hoffmann and grew up in the Kaiser- Friedrich-Straße in Berlin Charlottenburg. Cutting edge of his childhood described as lonely was the father 's early death in 1961. Latter had, suffering from diabetes and a heart condition, his musical talent and his artistic ambitions can not be realized and suffered from the narrowness and monotony of his work in the tax office.
After high-school diploma in 1967 Hoffmann trained as a wholesale merchant for steel and iron at Klöckner - iron GmbH & Co. KG In this time Hoffmann began his career as a singer-songwriter with first appearances in Berlin's trendy bars. After completing his training he undertook in 1969 a trip to Afghanistan, which brought him several times in life-threatening situations. In 1970 he began an acting training at the Max -Reinhardt -Schule in Berlin. In addition to his training as an actor, he worked hard on his career as a songwriter.
In 1974, Hoffmann has been engaged at the Freie Volksbühne Berlin under artistic director Kurt Hübner and at Hamburg's Thalia Theatre under Artistic Director Boy Gobert. He plays with in several film and television productions, such as in Ingmar Bergman's " The Serpent's Egg " or Tom Toelles " Lady of the Camellias ". A wide audience Hoffmann is best known for the title role in the film adaptation of Ulrich Plenzdorfs " The New Sufferings of Young W. ". For this role, he was awarded the "Bambi " and the " Golden Camera " TV magazine Hörzu.
His first album " Klaus Hoffmann " was released in 1975, without exception, written by himself Songs of the 1978 album " What am I to do in this town? " Revolved mostly around his -. Then split - hometown of Berlin. In 1978 Hoffmann for his songs the German cabaret prize in the Chanson division. In 1979, his first major, sold-out tour of Germany and the German Record Critics' Award in 1980 for the LP " West ". Hoffmann has recorded more than 30 albums to date.
In 2006, Hoffmann took the Culture Prize of the tabloid BZ in reception and called in his acceptance speech that the arts and cultural promotion should not be left to the banks.
On March 27, 2011 one day after his 60th birthday, Klaus Hoffmann celebrated his birthday in Berlin Friedrichstadt-Palast with numerous companions, especially Reinhard Mey. Other guests of the four- hour concert, which was already sold out months earlier, were Hannes Wader, Herman van Veen, Lydie Auvray, Romy Haag, Rolf Kühn and Robert circle.
Hoffmann developed a close friendship with the songwriter Reinhard Mey, whom he describes in his autobiography as his " brother ". Mey wrote on the occasion of the 60th birthday of Klaus Hoffmann his song " For Klaus "; Both artists have a variety of songs such as " All the soldiers woll'n home ", " Give me this night " and added, " My time " together.
Since August 2001, Klaus Hoffmann is married to his longtime girlfriend Malene Steger; as witnesses acted Hella and Reinhard Mey. Klaus Hoffmann lives in his hometown of Berlin and regularly goes after each new album on extensive tour of Germany.
Song content
Musically equally by American singer- songwriters such as Bob Dylan and the French chanson and the specific Berliner chanson influences in the tradition of Harald Juhnke and Hildegard Knef, Hoffmann's texts are determined by the confrontation with his childhood in middle-class postwar Berlin ( " Berlin ", " What catch me on in this town? "," board in front couplers "," the Boxer "," Kreuzberg Waltz "," One forgets nothing, " " The Streets of Berlin "," the King of Children ", " Hoffmann- Berlin " ) and the optimism of the 68s generation who rebelled against the narrowness and timidity of the parental generation ( " Estaminet ", " the Mittelmäßigkkeit ", " the Old Song ", " A New Beginning ", " Six and a half clock in the morning "). Continuous motif in Hoffmann's songs is the conflict between the heat and the child's sense of security of the familiar, on the one hand and the rebellion in the face of opportunities and challenges of the unknown, which can only be resolved through reconciliation with the contradiction of its own history and that of Berlin ( "seeing", "silence", "If you love ", " When I sing", " Morjen Berlin ',' Berlin Sunday," "If I thee Reunion ", " I think still there ", " Here I am to house " ).
Brel interpreter
Hoffmann is considered the leading German artist of the Belgian chansoniers Jacques Brel, whose music he described as spark his liberation from parents and petty bourgeoisie. Already Hoffmann's first album (1975), contained versions of Brel title So here are the people of Amsterdam and Adieu Emile, where he took over German text adaptations of Heinz Riedel in two cases. Her follow-up album, " What's left? " From 1976 contained discontinued by me ( Ne me quitte pas) two written by Brel songs, Marieke and go. Followed in 1977 the live double album "I want singing, wants to play and dance " with the two Brel songs My Flanderland (Le plat pays ) and alone.
Made possible by the contact Therèse Brel, the widow of Jacques Brel, Hoffmann began in 1996 with work on the musical " Brel - the last performance ." It looks the terminally ill Brel on his life by playing it through his songs - lets reminisce - sung in German translation. On 12 June 1997, the premiere of the musical took place in Berlin at the Schiller Theater. In the same year Hoffmann received for it the " Goldene Europa " for the " Concert Event of the Year".
With its program " Klaus Hoffmann Jacques Brel sings. If we only love remains " went Hoffmann then, accompanied only by pianist Hawo bleach, on tour. On October 9, 2008, he passed on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the death of Jacques Brel on with his program in the " Maison Heinrich Heine " in Paris.
Author
In 2000, Klaus Hoffmann's first novel was published under the title " Afghana ," the departure and journey of the protagonist by the Afghanistan of the late 60s describes. 2004, his second novel, " The Man Who Wanted to Fly " was released, the Klaus Hoffmann, accompanied on piano by Hawo bleach, presented at a major book tour with music throughout Germany. In February 2011, finally appeared Klaus Hoffmann's third novel, " Phillip and the women " that shows how the previous novels strong autobiographical elements. His autobiography, entitled "As if it were nothing," was released in October 2012.