Walter Jurmann Ein Lied aus meiner Heimat (CD)

Melodies by Walter Jurmann in original recordings from 1929-1936 with Willy Fritsch, Greta Keller, Hans Albers and others

Walter Jurmann was born on October 12, 1903 in Vienna, and his exciting life led from the city of the former k.u.k. Monarchy in the German Reich capital, to Berlin and finally via Paris to the US to Hollywood. He should have become a physician after the wishes of his parents, but his passion for music led him to a different career. On the occasion of a sanatorium stay in the Austrian health resort Semmering, he spends his time with musical improvisations in the hotel bar. This gimmick was so well received by the management of the hotel that the young musician was asked to continue.

He was offered a lucrative contract, and Walter Jurmann gladly accepted. In this way he became what is today called 'solo entertainer', and as such he played not only in distinguished hotel bars but also in numerous well-known Viennese cabarets. Here, the well-known librettist Fritz Rotter became aware of Walter Jurmann's musical talent. He made friends and Jurmann followed Rotter's advice to move to Berlin.

In the capital of the German Reich also hit the heart of the German-speaking entertainment industry. Broadcasting, numerous record companies that brought new hits to the market every day and the young talkies all this was a great temptation and challenge for the young talented musician. For example, the Dutch chefs group with a new record label tried to make the already established companies Electrola, Odeon and the 'German gramophone' competition. Their motto: 'Ultraphon reflects the tone' because the turntables of the brand 'Ultraphon' had two consecutively installed Tondosen, which caused a kind of 'pseudo-stereophonic' effect when playing. At Küchenmeister young talents gathered. Theo Mackeben, for example, directed the house orchestra under his name, but also under the pseudonym 'Red' Roberts. Alfred Beres and the already experienced Julian Fuhs were producing countless new dance records, and also a young Romanian singer named Joseph Schmidt was under contract with 'Ultraphon'.

Herbert Grenzebach, the repertoire chief, thus had a number of first-class young talents under contract. One of them was Walter Jurmann, who was also able to sing his own hits thanks to his pleasant tenor voice. For this reason, we can present to them on this CD a whole series of today rare recordings, in which the composer Walter Jurmann is also his own first interpreter. Asach the film studios soon secured the cooperation of the gifted young composer. In numerous films such as 'Her Majesty's Love', 'Ehe m.b.H.', 'Melody of Love' or 'Ein Lied für Dich', Walter Jurmann often wrote in collaboration with his friend Dr. Bronislaw Kaper and Fritz Rotter the music. Stars like Richard Tauber, Jan Kiepura, Dolly Haas, Greta Keller and Hans Albers sang the songs and recorded them on records. What began as a steep career in Berlin's musical heavens suddenly ended in 1933, when many so-called 'non-Aryan' artists were driven out of the country in an unprecedented campaign.

Jurmann, who suspected the danger, broke off his tents in Berlin and went via Paris to Hollywood. Thanks to his great musical versatility, he quickly managed to gain a foothold in the dream factory. Here he wrote the film scores for numerous major productions of MGM (MetroGoldwynMayer), including 'Mutiny an the Bounty' (1935 with Clark Gable and Charles Laughton), 'A Day at the Races' (1936, with the Marx Brothers), and the Title music to 'San Francisco' (1936 with Clark Gable and Jeanette McDonald) is by Walter Jurmann. Ironically, this hit also had numerous dance bands in Germany in the repertoire. Only several years after the Second E 1 ... World War II, Walter Jurmann, together with his wife Yvonne, whom he had married in the USA, returned to Europe.

He was dismayed by the destruction caused by the war in his hometown of Vienna. On the last trip to Europe in 1971, Walter Jurmann died on 17 June in Budapest as a result of a heart attack. His wife Yvonne, who today takes care of the musical legacy of Walter Jurmann, was not uninvolved in the present CD. It gave many suggestions, so that today we are fortunate enough to present a sequel to the CD 'Veronika, Lenz da da', which was released two years ago (order no .: 007786).
Dr. JensUwe Völmecke
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