Although
Klaus Schulze has been a major admirer of
Lisa Gerrard ever since her work with
Dead Can Dance back in the 1980s, their collaborations were a long time coming. It wasn't until the late 2000s that the two of them first joined forces musically. But when they finally got a chance to work together, there was no doubt that they were a perfect combination.
Schulze and
Gerrard's collaborations have resulted in both live and studio recordings;
Dziekuje Bardzo: Vielen Dank falls into the first category.
Dziekuje Bardzo has been released in DVD and CD versions, both of which focus on a November 13, 2008 concert at the Bazylika Ojców Salezjanów in Warsaw, Poland. A major difference between the two, however, is the fact that this three-CD version of
Dziekuje Bardzo also contains performances from
Schulze and
Gerrard's appearance at the Schiller's Theatre in Berlin, German the night before on November 12, 2008. And in both venues, the two of them enjoy an obviously strong rapport. Their chemistry is as strong on "Godspell" and "Bazylika NSJ" from the Warsaw concert as it is on "Spanish Ballerina" and "Ocean of Innocence" from the Berlin concert. However, this release is engaging not only because of
Schulze and
Gerrard's performances together but also, because of the material
Schulze performs by himself.
Gerrard is absent from "Shoreless One" and "Shoreless Two," both of which find
Schulze playing the Mini-Moog synthesizer unaccompanied. Of course, the Mini-Moog is so closely identified with the '70s that some people will say that it can't help but sound "dated"; however,
Schulze manages to make the Mini-Moog relevant to the ambient electronica scene of the 21st century. And despite its excesses ("Bazylika NSJ" and "Ocean of Innocence" both last 41 minutes), the three-CD version of
Dziekuje Bardzo: Vielen Dank paints an attractive picture of
Schulze both with and without
Gerrard. ~ Alex Henderson