Think of what it would
sound like having a lighthearted style of playing violin fronting a small 10-15
piece orchestra…This is the sound of Helmut Zacharias. Hailing from a
background comparable to the famous Bert Kaempfert big band, Zacharias left the
bitter taste of World War Two Germany behind and played music for the masses –
globally. According to many online biographies, he was influenced before and
during the war by the styles of Stephane Grapelli and Django Reinhardt. These
two capture a blend of what we call ‘jazz’ today and gypsy melody. In the hands
of Zacharias, a solo violin can dance, and ‘sashay’, and evoke all kinds of
wonderful happy gyrations in your mind. It can be feminine and masculine
depending on how you match a mood or scene to.
I post this review
having recently obtained a set of the BMG/Electrola remasters on CD of nearly
23 of his short and long play vinyl albums. This is simple titled HELMUT
ZACHARIAS BIG BOX – THE LEGENDARY ORIGINAL ALBUMS. A 5CD set sequencing his
albums chronologically from the early 1960s through to the late 1970s. Like his
contemporary Kaempfert, he stayed consistent in his style right up till the
1970s. I suppose one might try to compare him with Franck Pourcel’s early
albums where he played solo violin in front of a lush string orchestra, or even
Herman Clebanoff of the equally renowned Clebanoff Strings. But after listening
to the selections in this box, one cannot help but admire the distinctiveness
of Zacharias’s style.
I highlight for
instance the following choice tracks from this ear-watering selection of his
greatest albums according to the people at ELECTROLA, a subsidiary of BMG
company.
L’Important cest la
rose
: the violin’s long notes ring out the mental
imagery of Parisian elegance as if this tune was meant for a romantic movie
like ‘Sabrina’, ‘Forget Paris’ or the TV series ‘Emily in Paris’. Zacharias
amazingly sounds as French as Grapelli, his inspiration.
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White : this is forever associated
with the trumpets, bongos, and saxophones of a Latin big band, but Zacharias
makes it all his own with a special violin lead that evokes an elegant Viennese
ball adapting to rhumbas and cha-chas.
A Man and a Woman : Francis Lai’s classic is no less romantically
dramatic played with a solo violin attentive to its swirling musical passages.
Something : on CD TWO transforms the Beatles’ classic from a pop song into a
literal flight of fancy from an elegant concert hall to enjoying inflight
service in business (or first) class where meals and drinks are unhurried, and
tinged with many sweet destination dreams. This is truly a classic and this is
also captured in a live TV performance on YouTube by Zacharias.
Claire/Claire : the Gilbert O’ Sullivan pop standard ‘waltzes’ under
Zacharias’ arrangements between a sunny summer picnic on the lawn to a hilarious
gathering of friends in the porch partaking in a serving of lemonade on a warm
afternoon.
Can’t Take my Eyes Off You : one would never have thought of the Zacharias sound
applied to one of the most distinctive ‘re-hits’ between the 1960s and 1990s –
but it works as an anthem to boy meets girl and vice versa situations. The
violin however brings the melody into a classy afternoon lounge looking onto
the street, while you watch people go by while sipping tall coffees!
This post would be quite unwieldy if I posted all of the track lists. But for starters the tunes below comprise just CD ONE. Released in 2023, there are still many pieces – both new and second hand – available on many retail sites such as eBay or this one: https://www.grooves.land/zacharias-helmut-big-box-die-legendaeren-originalalben-electrola-cd-pZZa1-2100857651.html. You can see from my pictures above how the original album covers are cleverly juxtaposed on the cover, literally offering a kaleidoscope of Zacharias’s work.
Disc 01
01.
"L'important c'est la rose"
02. "What A Wonderful World"
03. "A Man And A Woman"
04. "Step Inside Love"
05. "Love And Yasmin"
06. "Words"
07. "Honey"
08. "The Glory Of Love"
09. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
10. "Love Is Blue"
11. "Falling In Love Again"
12. "Someone To Watch Over Me"
13. "Mexico Melody"
14. "Olympia Melody"
15. "Golden Bell Of Mexico"
16. "If I Were A Rich Man"
17. "Anatevka (Fiddler On The Roof)"
18. "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White"
19. "Liebesleid"
20. "Ich denk' an dich"
21. "Lara's Theme"
22. "The Last Waltz"
23. "So ein Tag, so wundersch?n wie heute"
24. "Help
Yourself"
25. "Ob-La-Di,
Ob-La-Da"
26. "Those Were The Days"
27. "O Cangaceiro"
28. "Capri-Fischer"
29. "Light My Fire
30. "Brown Eyed Woman"
Get it for your collection if you can, this is easy listening on a different plane!
ALAN
March 2026
