Coppelius

The name of the group is a reference to the character of the same name by Ernst Hoffmann , in whom he appears in various stories and novels, for example, in the famous fairy tale Sandman . Links to Hoffmann's works are also present in many of the band's songs.

Count Caspar:

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According to the version of the musicians, their first meeting took place at the premiere of Mozart's The Magic Flute on September 30, 1791 at the Auf der Wieden Theater in Vienna - they ended up in the same box ^[2] . Two years later, the Coppelius members met again - at the execution of the French king Louis XVI . This meeting was not accidental - it is rumored that Herr Voss and Count Caspar appointed it to prove to Nobusama, a Japanese colleague, that the custom of execution exists not only in Japan. The musicians did not like the accompaniment of this event. From this moment, they decided to bring something completely new to the music of that time.

Already during the Vienna meeting, Max Coppella and Count Lindorf had known each other for several years. Bastille ( Bastille ), who received a place at the Earl of Lindorf thanks to good recommendations, fled from France during the French Revolution . Earl Lindorff was said to have been keen on traveling. They brought him to feudal Japan, where he was able to convince Nobusama - the current drummer of the band - to join Coppelius instead of earning himself the fame of a lone samurai.

Sneaking aboard a Dutch merchant ship, Nobusama went ashore in Europe, where he was introduced by Count Lindorf to the rest of the Coppelius. Count Caspar arrived from Paris, where he was the conductor of the Paris Opera. He had to leave this post and urgently leave the country due to differences of opinion with the director of the opera. According to the count, a vile intrigue was plotted against him, which almost cost him his head. He soon met the rest of the Coppelius musicians, who henceforth became his constant companions.

Mr. Zissi Voss - according to the statement of his comrades - the youngest of the musicians. They say that it was he who settled the debate about whether to wear headgear at the first concert (1803) or better without them: “With our hats, gentlemen, we are always recognized. But let's go to hell with those annoying wigs! ” In addition, shortly after the arrival of Nobusama in Europe, he did not allow him to fall victim to a duel, summoning the instigator himself to battle.

From the very beginning of its existence, the chapel appeared in opposition, calling their style and performances “scandalous” or even “tricks of the devil” and obstructing the collective - this is how the musicians explain the fact that the first significant performance by Coppelius took place only in 1803. In addition, as later on, the band members themselves were often the cause of the concert breakdown: Nobusama experienced difficulties in the first years of his stay in Europe; Mr. Voss was forced to conduct special training for his right hand, as he suffered from sore fingers after pizzicato; Mr. Coppella is passionate about chemistry and had the habit of adding newly invented substances to drinks to test their effect - unfortunately, not all of them had a positive effect, and Herr Coppella conducted his research too often; Count Caspar - undoubtedly the most sensitive member of the group - happens to fall into melancholy; Earl Lindorf lost a lot of time because of an affair with a beauty named Olympia, although his travels in Europe and the emergence of connections that often helped organize the performances had a negative effect on the group's activities. The Bastille also contributes to success, to this day fulfilling its duties with a sense of duty, making modern life bearable for musicians.

The first Coppelius tour took place in 1815-1822. In those days, this long journey through Europe was difficult due to poor roads, inconvenient crews, bad weather and countless customs posts. Not wanting to go into details, musicians like to recall:

Friendship with Ernst Hoffmann meant a lot to Coppelius. According to the musicians, they and Hoffman were childhood friends and often played together. Children used to throw sand in his eyes - this later influenced the work of Hoffmann. Only when the name "Coppelius" appeared in the Sandman fairy tale did the gentlemen realize what they had done with Hoffmann. Count Lindorf says:

It is also necessary to mention Beethoven. The statements of the musicians are at odds with the fact that the composer was deaf in 1800 :

- states Max Coppella.

In 1815, a concert took place, which today can be called a key event in the history of rock - musicians played on Waterloo's battlefield. During this legendary performance, the importance of electrical amplification was understood, because acoustic instruments could hardly block the noise of battle. To solve this problem, Count Lindorf and Count Caspar took a trip to Italy. There they managed to get to know the physicist Lazzaro Spallanzani , who helped to enhance the sound of their instruments. From that moment it was possible not only to control the sound on the battlefields, but also to reach the farthest rows of ever-increasing concert halls. At the 1851 concert in London, despite - or, perhaps, just because of it - the scandalous treatment of classical instruments, the hall was full. Thanks to his acquaintance with the director of the German Patent Office, Coppelius gave numerous concerts in honor of the grant of a patent to an invention. Often there were very few public at these concerts. For musicians, these concerts are associated with pleasant memories. A funny incident at one of the countless concerts: on July 25, 1892, Coppelius played in honor of the founding of the football club BFC Hertha 92. It was a calm day, but the music of Coppelius made the flags of the fans wave. During the match, the ball hit the double bass of Zissi Voss and broke it into two parts. However, fans found another double bass, bringing to life the slogan “Coppelius will help!”

In 2003, Coppelius reached the finals of Emergenza , the largest independent music competition in Berlin. The group became the leader of the audience vote, but, by decision of the jury, received only the second place. In 2003 and 2004, Coppelius appeared in the opening act for the opening act of Mila Mar , Mutabor , Fiddler's Green , Nik Page , Tanzwut , Subway to Sally and Uriah Heep . Released in 2005, the To My Creator demo album is complemented by the band’s first video for the song I Get Used To It . At the same time, the cappella supports Subway to Sally on a tour of Germany, and in February and March 2006 gives joint concerts with Letzte Instanz . Moreover, in 2006 Coppelius played more than 40 concerts, both in Berlin and beyond, as a main group. In April 2007, at the Maschinenhaus der Kulturbrauerei, the band presented a video for the song Morgenstimmung . In the same year, Coppelius performed at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival. In the summer of 2007, the band signed to Fame Recordings and on September 21, their debut album Time-Zeit was released. In the spring of 2009, the second album, Tumult! Presented by B. Deutung, Frau Schmidt and Eric Fish. On October 29, 2010, the third album appeared - Zinnober .

The musicians themselves on the tickets designate their music as “Kammer-Core from the 19th century” or, hinting at “Heavy Metal”, as “Heavy Wood”. The music of Coppelius is influenced by Iron Maiden , Apocalyptica and Edward Grieg . The peculiarity of the group is the use of clarinets, cello and double bass, the sound of which is often severely distorted, instead of electric and bass guitars. The lyrics of the group were strongly influenced by Hoffmann and describe the musicians' impressions of the modern world, modern man and narrate romantic scary stories.

Demos

• 2003: Coppelius
• 2004: 1803
• 2005: To My Creator

Studio Albums

• 2007: Time-Zeit
• 2009: Tumult!
• 2010: Zinnober
• 2013: Extrablatt!
• 2015: Hertzmaschine

Singles

• 2011: Ma Rue A Moi (Wer Großes leistet)

Videography

• 2005 - I Get Used To It
• 2006 - Morgenstimmung
• 2010 - Habgier
• 2010 - Schöne Augen (Live)
• 2010 - Die Glocke
• 2011 - Risiko
• 2011 - Der Advokat (Live)
• 2012 - I Told You So
• 2013 - Spieldose

• The official website of the group
• Coppelius on Facebook
• Coppelius YouTube Channel