Wir machen Musik! ... Willi Stech mit seinem Orchester (Berlin 1943 / 4K / Colorized)

Today's video features the title song from Helmut Käutner's 1942 screwball comedy "Wir machen Musik" (Lit. "We're making music") starring Ilse Werner, Viktor de Kowa, Grethe Weiser, Edith Oss and Georg Thomalla. The music was composed by Adolf Steimel and Peter Igelhoff and the movie featured the now classic songs "Wir machen Musik", "Mein Herz hat heut' Premiere", "Ich hab' dich und du hast mich" and "Wann wirst du wieder bei mir sein" as well as a whistling duet. Both the movie and its songs were a massive hit and "Wir machen Musik" was remade several times in 1950s and 1960s.

This video features "Wir machen Musik" in a version by Willi Stech and his (almost symphonic) orchestra. Originally this recording was issued on Siemens-Polydor" in 1943. The record featured today is a re-issue on Philips from the 1950s. Why this recording was re-issued on Philips in stead of Polydor is a mystery to me. The original matrix number as well as the mechanical copyright date (1943) are printed next to the Philips label as it would have been done on regular Gramophon / Polydor pressings. I bought the record together with another Stech re-issue on Philips in Vienna many years ago. Unfortunately and inexplicably this record has been played (a lot) with a steel needle hence the distortions in some places. One can only imagine how good the combination of the high quality Siemens-Polydor recording process and good quality 1950s schellac must have once sounded.

This video combines the original 78rpm release with sequences from "Wir machen Musik". These sequences have been restored and upscaled to a 4K resolution. They were then colorized purely for entertainment purposes. I do not claim the colorization to be historically correct but it does give an impression of what the sets and costumes may have looked like and brings the musical numbers to life as it were.

About the record :

"Wir machen Musik"
Willi Stech mit seinem Orchester

Philips (Original release on Siemens-Polydor)
NP 1003 AB / mx. 9846 1/2 GD9

Berlin,
February 1943

The 78rpm recording was transferred using the Graham Slee Revelation M phono preamp in combination with the ReK-O-Kut Dehisser and edited in Adobe Audition. The settings for the Preamp are : Mono / 250 Hz (Bass Turnover) - O (Roll-Off)