GET WELL SOON

In the organizer's words:

Konstantin Gropper's formative years were overshadowed by the death of his hero Kurt Cobain in 1994. It was certainly not easy for him to break away from the classic musical philosophy of his parents, which he had grown up with. It was Neil Young's lyrics from 1979 that Cobain quoted in his farewell letter: "It's better to burn out than fade away". A line, a mantra that still resonates today and defines the secret of great music. Gropper is now in his mid-40s and his catalog as GET WELL SOON now stretches back two decades. All concept albums, he was always concerned with content, sometimes more, sometimes less serious. He once described himself as a "deeply misunderstood comedy project". And he still has a lot to say: his return after four years not only brings with it a lot of new music. MINUS THE MAGIC, the first of two GET WELL SOON albums this year, comes with an unexpected confession: "This album is about midlife," explains Gropper. "And it's aimed at middle-aged people." Admittedly, it's been a while since Gropper's 2008 album "Rest Now, Weary Head! You Will Get Well Soon" was celebrated as a German wunderkind. In the same year, a career in other musical fields was already on the horizon: Directors such as Wim Wenders and Detlef Buck wanted his music for their films. In 2013, he co-produced the album "Hinterland" by rapper Casper, which stormed the German charts. His compositions can be heard in numerous international cinema and television productions. More recently, he has also appeared in the top 10 of the streaming charts with "How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)" and "Achtsam Morden", alongside various other film scores for Netflix, Disney+ and Co, with more in the pipeline. "I've always challenged myself not to repeat myself," Gropper affirms. However, he sometimes makes an exception: since his second album "Vexations" from 2010, all of his albums have made it into the German Top 20. 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of GET WELL SOON - another occasion for reflection. Like many people his age, Gropper has recently been grappling with the big questions in life, whether he wanted to or not. "I wouldn't call it a crisis," he emphasizes. "It's simply that midlife can bring profound changes. Maybe you think less about the impression you want to make. Ideally, you find yourself. Perhaps you also take yourself less seriously. There is a text by Carl Jung, 'The Stages Of Life', which I found inspiring: 'We cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of the morning'. I don't want to get too philosophical - the whole thing is supposed to be fun! - but instead of pandering to the 'kids', I thought I'd take on this challenge: Escape to the front! So this is music by middle-aged musicians for middle-aged people. But of course everyone else is welcome too." However, this does not mean that Gropper is navel-gazing here. Nor has he lost any of his edge. You would think that on MINUS THE MAGIC he would rely even more on his engaging, mature "crooner style" and the opulent arrangements for which GET WELL SOON are known. But through his very personal stocktaking, Gropper is actually experiencing something of a rebirth. MINUS THE MAGIC is the first album that he has recorded together with his entire band. From the very first notes, it creates a tremendous feeling of youthful dynamism, dirt and determination. Amidst a flurry of guitars, "The 4-3 Days" transports him and his audience to a familiar, poster-covered basement where everyone knows "every word Kurt said" and "John, Claire, Allison, Andrew and Brian will always be sixteen". They only met once, but it changed their lives forever. This content has been machine translated.