''Todeswunsch – Sous le soleil de Saturne'' (German and French: "Death Wish - Under the Sun of Saturn") is the second album by

darkwave Dark wave (also typeset as darkwave) is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as be ...

band

Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows (Latin: ''sopor aeternus'' "eternal slumber"; also referred to or stylized as Sopor Aeternus or Sopor) is a darkwave musical project based in Frankfurt, founded in 1989 by a multidiciplinary artist who us ...

and was released in 1995. ''Todeswunsch'' saw a fundamental change in sound, abandoning the heavily synthesized darkwave music for a sound akin to the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

and neo-Medieval music. A limited pressing of 3,000 CDs was initially available, and the album has been re-released at least three times. An accompanying EP, ''

Ehjeh Ascher Ehjeh ''Ehjeh Ascher Ehjeh'' (Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה; "I am that I am") is the first EP by Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows, and was released in 1995 as a companion to the album '' Todeswunsch - Sous le soleil de Saturne''. Only 3,000 ...

'', was released later that year.

Overview

''Todeswunch'' was a major departure from Sopor Aeternus' first album, '' ...Ich töte mich...'', in that the aggressive synthesized music of the first record was replaced with ornate

- and

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

-inspired

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

, woodwinds and

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

s came to the fore, while drum machines were largely abandoned for varying amounts of hand

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

. Shrill female vocals also resound throughout the album, all of them provided by

Anna-Varney Cantodea Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows (Latin: ''sopor aeternus'' "eternal slumber"; also referred to or stylized as Sopor Aeternus or Sopor) is a darkwave musical project based in Frankfurt, founded in 1989 by a multidiciplinary artist who us ...

herself. The album quotes heavily from other works. One example is the title track, where the music is a darkwave version of

Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later in ...

' "

I Think I See the Light ''Mona Bone Jakon'' is the third studio album by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, released in April 1970 on the Island Records label in the United Kingdom and on A&M in the United States and Canada. Overview After a meteoric start to his career, ...

". "Drama der Geschlechtslosigkeit (part 2)" employs the melody from " Chim Chim Cher-ee", as featured in ''

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...

'', while "Shadowsphere" quotes the

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

lines from

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

's "Under the Sun". "The Devil's Instrument" also quotes lyrics from

Rozz Williams Rozz Williams (born Roger Alan Painter; November 6, 1963 – April 1, 1998) was an American singer and songwriter known for his work with the bands Christian Death, Shadow Project (with musician Eva O), and the industrial project Premature Ejac ...

' "Mysterium Inquitatis". ''"Todeswunsch"'' contains the first instance of Cantodea's long-standing interest in

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

: "Die Bruderschaft des Schmerzes" is a re-telling of his work '' Dream-Land''. ''Todeswunsch'' would see re-releases in 1999, 2003 and 2008. The album artwork received significant changes for both the 2003 and 2008 editions. The painting on the cover of the original release is a detail of ''

Death of the Virgin The Death of the Virgin Mary is a common subject in Western Christian art, the equivalent of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Eastern Orthodox art. This depiction became less common as the doctrine of the Assumption gained support in the Roman ...

'' by

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

. The title of "Soror Sui Excidium" was changed to "Soror (Sister of Self-destruction)" for re-releases, and both halves of "Shadowsphere" were indexed into one track on re-issue.

Track listing

Personnel

* Gerrit Fischer:

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

on "Soror Sui Excidium", "Drama der Geschlechtslosigkeit (part 2)" and "Only the Dead in the Mist" * Varney: Vocals, all other instruments and programming

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Todeswunsch - Sous Le Soleil De Saturne 1995 albums Sopor Aeternus and The Ensemble of Shadows albums