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

darkwave Dark wave, or 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 being dark, ro ...

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 neoclassical dark wave musical project based in Frankfurt. Founding The group was founded in ...

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 ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and

neo-Medieval music Neo-medieval music is a modern popular music characterized by elements of medieval music and early music in general.Kreutziger-Herr, A. (2014, July 01). Medievalism. Grove Music Online. Retrieved 6 Feb. 2024. Music styles within neo-medieval musi ...

. 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 3,00 ...

'', 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 Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

-inspired

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

woodwinds Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and re ...

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 machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

s 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 percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

. 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 neoclassical dark wave musical project based in Frankfurt. Founding The group was founded in ...

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

version Version may refer to: Computing * Software version, a set of numbers that identify a unique evolution of a computer program * VERSION (CONFIG.SYS directive), a configuration directive in FreeDOS Music * Cover version * Dub version * Remix * ''V ...

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 musician. He has sold more than 100 million records and has more than two billion st ...

' "

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 "Chim Chim Cher-ee" is a song from ''Mary Poppins (film), Mary Poppins'', the 1964 musical film, and is also featured in the 2004 Mary Poppins (musical), ''Mary Poppins'' musical. The song won the 1964 Academy Award for Best Original Song. In ...

", as featured in ''

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...

'', while "Shadowsphere" quotes the

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

lines from

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

'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 E ...

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

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

: "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, and is 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 t ...

'' by

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

. 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 Gerrit Fischer (28 August 1916 – 22 November 1984) was a Dutch footballer who played for Ajax as a right winger. Club career Ajax Fischer was discovered at a school football match at the age of sixteen, by Ajax coach Jack Reynolds, after ...

Guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

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