Maschine – Lieder mit klassischen Saiten und Streichquintett

Dieter "Maschine" Birr, the brains and heart of the Puhdys from 1969 to 2016, looks back on almost six decades of success:

Over 22 million records sold, almost 5,000 concerts in 21 countries, and around 500 songs written – many of which have long since become classics and hits for several generations. Remarkably, even the dissolution of the cult band hasn't diminished his popularity: His concerts are still sold out, and his solo albums regularly land in the top quarter of the charts.


His two most recent releases, "Große Herzen" (2023) and "Mein Weg" (2024), each reached number 4. The reasons for this enduring success are manifold: passion, musical skill, the gift of combining catchy melodies with credible lyrics, authenticity and approachability, the respectful interaction with his audience – and above all, the willingness to never rest on his laurels.


Maschine has continually reinvented himself, experimented, and developed further without denying his roots. Anyone who seriously believed he would slow down at the age of 81 just because everything was going well doesn't know him very well.


And so, Maschine surprises again:

He is now touring with a string quintet. Since many of his songs have long been classics, why not present them in a classical setting? Indeed, numerous songs, whether big hits or personal favorites, are perfectly suited to an orchestral setting.


The new arrangements lend them a fresh, unexpected dimension and unfold a magic all their own. For this, Maschine has secured some of the best musicians from the Berlin classical music scene – artists who normally play with the Berlin State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Orchestra, the Radio Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, or even the Berlin Philharmonic.


The ensemble is complemented by keyboardist Marcus Gorstein, who was part of Maschine's band back in 2014 and has worked with him regularly since then, for example as co-producer of the albums "Neubeginner" and "Alle Winter wieder." Together, they blur the boundaries between popular and classical music for an entire concert evening, demonstrating the fascinating soundscapes that can be created by violins, viola, cello, and double bass.


"Maschine – Songs with Classical Strings and String Quintet" seamlessly matches the quality of the "Lieder für Generationen" concerts with Uwe Hassbecker and is on a par with the entertainment value of the "Maschine" talk shows with Kai Suttner. As different as these three formats are, they have one thing in common: art comes from skill.