Madeleine Joel doesn’t like half measures

Even during the pandemic, she never had a phase in which she was idle or felt limited in her creative work, says the native of Linz, who lives in Vienna. “The ideas that are in me want to come out, because they don’t know a pandemic.” The jazz musician, who says with conviction that she doesn’t like things by halves, has found a partner for her five-part video series “Madeleine Joel invites you to the Knef-Duett”. brought to her side. In the OÖN interview, the 29-year-old singer and saxophonist reveals why and why she was drawn again to the music of Hildegard Knef.

They don’t like things by halves. So do ideas arise in order to be realised?

Madeline Joel: When I have an idea, it won’t let me go. Then I know: I have to do it, I will do it. But then I also think about how many work steps will be necessary to make the idea a reality. I often think to myself that I have a lot to do.

Are you stressing yourself?

Madeline Joel: no The idea for the project with the duets came to me a year ago. Now the video series starts. I take the time that is necessary to be able to deliver quality. But right in the middle of the creative process, I thought to myself that it was a big responsibility that I had shouldered on myself. I was responsible for everything in the project. There are many areas, from helping with the arranging, to rehearsal plans for my colleagues and schedules for the studio manager, to designing the scenes, which lights and which backdrops are necessary. I also told all the partners what to wear for the duet video (laughs).

So no half measures.

Madeline Joel: Yes, exactly. Ulrike Beimpold and I agreed how we wanted to dress, but I told the men how to dress.

Does that have to do with experience?

Madeline Joel: No, the duets are music videos in which a dialogue is lived, which is also presented scenically. There is always a different backdrop. The first duet with Viktor Gernot (“I missed you so much”, ed.) is a bar scene where we both totally dressed up because we are finally seeing each other again. I knew I was going to wear the little black dress and I told him it would be great if he could wear a black suit. Then we would match.

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How did the idea come about in the first place?

Madeline Joel: Hildegard Knef won’t let go of me. I thought about how I could create another artistic tribute to her. Recording a second album with ten songs and my band “The Hildeguards” seemed too boring to me. Then I thought about how I could present Knef’s songs in a new way. Then it hit me like lightning: duets.

A shape you like?

Madeline Joel: i love duets I like polyphony. So it was clear: Hildegard Knef goes duet. The next step was to find songs that are suitable for duets, that offer the opportunity to sing about one another and that tell a story. Then I listened through the entire Knef repertoire and it quickly became clear which songs would be their own.

How do you know if a song is suitable for a duet?

Madeline Joel: They’re love songs. Love plays a central role in all five duets. From pain, longing, passion, devotion, grief – it’s all there. Some of the Knef lyrics are extremely kitschy, very romantic and are ideal for duets. Once the songs were clear, it was about who I wanted to sing them with.

Did you choose the five chosen ones or were you found?

Madeline Joel: I was looking for her. These are my absolute dream partners, where I thought, if I bring such a project to life, then I would like to sing a duet with these personalities. Nothing could happen to me either. In the worst case, I would have received a rejection or no response.

Apparently neither of these happened.

Madeline Joel: I got a relatively quick confirmation from everyone and the men, i.e. Viktor Gernot, Drew Sarich, Thomas Gansch and Werner Auer, were allocated. But I discussed every step with all partners. Ulrike Beimpold was the exception. We didn’t know each other and had our first phone call because she wanted to hear me to see if the frequency was right. I suggested to her what we could sing and she said, “You, Madeleine, I don’t like singing ‘A lady I’ll never sing’.” She wanted to do something profound and go through a creative process with me. She was very involved in the whole process. Our duet is the most intense and artistically most valuable. We mixed the lyrics of two Knef songs, it’s a special dialogue. The artistic idea came from her, but we implemented it together. She always likes to be inspired and enriched.

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If you like duets, you get involved with people, and when you work together on a duet like that, it’s the best thing that can happen, isn’t it?

Madeline Joel: Absolutely. It was a total enrichment for me, of course, to get to know the great artists, to be with them and to sing. These are valuable acquaintances and a friendship has even developed with Ulrike.

What did you take away from your duet partners?

Madeline Joel: They are all only human, no matter how successful someone is. Everything was equal. I take away that you don’t need to have false respect for successful people. All five are stage people, putting on a show. Every duet is different. But then I also experienced the private moments, how they are as people. Then I think to myself: We are all the same.

But the five duets remain just a video project. There won’t be half an album of it?

Madeline Joel: Five songs are not enough for a duet album. In addition, I had no profit thoughts with the project. The artistic idea was in the foreground. I wanted to present something new again, but also in a new form, in this case with music videos. I like facets and variety. Of course you could think about saying to the five partners, we’ll all record another song and then it will be an album. Maybe it will also be a show and we’ll be on stage together one day. In conversations I noticed that no one would be averse to bringing the Knef duets to the stage, it just needs a program and a band expansion as well as a stage that fits. And to be honest, a house that can pay for it.

So you had a budget for the video project that you could use to pay the artists?

Madeline Joel: I saved a total budget for the project because I really like being independent. I don’t want to wait to get a grant.

Are there any new musical plans?

Madeline Joel: I’m working on a second album that won’t have anything to do with Hildegard Knef (laughs). One day it will move away from jazz towards popular music and I will live a whole new facet of myself there. I can’t reveal much more yet. But I would like to mention one more thing, because it really touched me deeply.

What happened?

Madeline Joel: On the Friday when the first video was published, I received a message from Gabriele Runge on Facebook. This is the current partner of Paul von Schell, the widower of Hildegard Knef, who always said that Hilde was his great love. Gabriele Runge wrote to me that she and Paul are totally enthusiastic about the duet with Viktor Gernot. They would be so happy that there are artists like me who appreciate and skilfully interpret Hilde’s work. There are so many who can’t and it hurts. When I read that, I was stunned. Because the most direct connection that still exists to Hildegard Knef is Paul von Schell. The feedback from him is the crowning glory. That really took my breath away.

(Info: Another duet will be released every Friday on youtube.com until February 10th, which you can also collect on madeleine-joel.com see where to read more details.)