Machine - Songs with Classical Strings & String Quintet

He’s sold 22 million records, played nearly 5,000 concerts in 21 countries, and written close to 500 songs. Many of these songs have become true classics—hits that have resonated across multiple generations.

What’s remarkable is that even the breakup of the cult band did nothing to dent Maschine’s popularity; his concerts are still sold out, and all of his solo albums have landed in the top quarter of the official album charts, with his two most recent releases, “Große Herzen” (2023) and “Mein Weg” (2024), each reaching number 4.

There are certainly many reasons for this decades-long success. His passion, his musical craftsmanship, his ability to compose irresistible songs and write authentic lyrics, his authenticity and approachability—qualities that have become rare—his consistent interaction with the audience on an equal footing, and so on and so forth… And certainly also the fact that Maschine never rested on his laurels, constantly readjusting the elements of his artistry and always trying new things without denying his roots. That remains true to this day. Did anyone really expect the charismatic singer and musician to scale back just because he’s now 81 and everything is going wonderfully?

Exactly! And so Maschine pulls another surprise out of his sleeve: From now on, Maschine will also be touring with a string quintet. Since so many of his songs are considered classics, why not perform them in a classical style for a change?

Seriously: Many of his songs—whether they’re his hits or personal favorites—are perfectly suited for a classical arrangement; they surprise with their approach and unfold a very special magic in the arrangements.

For this, Maschine enlisted the crème de la crème of Berlin’s classical music scene—a team of seasoned, highly professional musicians who otherwise perform at the Berlin State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Orchestra, the Radio Orchestra, the Chamber[1]Mahler Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Last but not least, keyboardist Marcus Gorstein is on board. The Berlin-based musician first played in Maschine’s band back in 2014, and the two have collaborated on and off ever since; for example, Gorstein served as co-producer on the Maschine albums “Neubeginner” and “Alle Winter wieder.”

Together, they spend an entire evening blurring the boundaries between popular and classical music, while convincing even the last skeptic of the enrichment that two violins, a cello, a viola, and a double bass can bring. “Maschine – Songs with Classical Strings and String Quintet” effortlessly matches the high quality of the “Songs for Generations” concerts with Uwe Hassbecker and offers the same entertainment value as the Maschine talk shows with Kai Sugner. As different as these three ways of experiencing the rock icon may be, they still have one thing in common: Art comes from skill!