Claire Diterzi

An album about Marxist heroine Rosa Luxemburg, 90 years after she was murdered in Berlin, set to urban beats and bird noises – yes, you have to be Claire Diterzi to accomplish this. ‘The odd one out’ when it come to les filles fragiles, first was asked to write music for a theatre ‘spectacle’ about the Red Rose, which culminated into a full album; Rosa la rouge. You can read a French interview with Claire and director Marcial Di Fonzo Bo here, where she explains that the thing she wears on her back on the albumcover (and the pic on the right) is a ‘kalash-guitare’. I’m sure Tom Morello of RATM would love to have one too. To be honest I did not know very much about Rosa Luxembourg (read a short bio here) but I understand there was a lot of violence (and imprisonment) in her life. Claire tells in the interview that nature and birds, which explains the bird noises in the songs (soundscapes, really). There’s a genuine waltz on the album, as are urban beats. Luxemburg wanted to touch the masses, Claire explains, that’s why the song Je Touche La Masse (with samples of Rosa’s voice) sounds something MTV might wanna broadcast, including quotes like I got the power.  If you were into Claire’s Tableau de Chasse album (and many of you were), you’re in for a surprise. There are a few songs on the album (like the titletrack, and the very Diterzi-sounding J’étais Je Suis Je Serai) that I really like, but most of the tracks work better on a stage, I guess, than at  home. See a teaser video here.

Claire Diterzi – Rosa la rouge