2 Mar 2008

RIP, Ivan Rebroff

Ivan Rebroff

On February 27th 2008 the great german singer Ivan Rebroff (real name: Hans Rolf Rippert) passed away at the age of 76. This is going to be a personal commemoration, because I´ve been touring with Ivan from 1983 - 1986 and played the bass balalaika on stages all over Europe.

Not having met Ivan since then, I just heard of his demise in the news just like everyone else, and this certainly awakes some precious memories, all the more Ivan was someone who had a pretty formative and inspiring impact on my life, so to speak.

After graduating school and completing the subsequent compulsory community service, I was just about to take up some serious course of studies at university -- but then Ivan appeared out the blue and took me and three other young musicians (we, the "Balalaika Ensemble Druschba", were already quite well-known in Germany at that time...) on an incredibly interesting joyride for 4 years. I´m very thankful for this opportunity and will always cherish an experience which many young musicians sadly don´t have.

Balalaika Ensemble Druschba - the cover of our own record

Balalaika Ensemble Druschba: the cover of our own record
From left to right: Johannes Schmidt, Kai Balke, Günter Schenk, Andrej Romanoff

Working and performing with Ivan was nothing less that pure and unspoilt fun. When we met him, he was already a *big* star in this genre, however we soon got along with each other very well, because his fame didn´t bar him from being a warm-hearted and down-to-earth fellow towards everyone.

We certainly didn´t form a close friendship with Ivan, as he was the typical lone wolf who´d rather go his own ways after concerts, but I´d say that we have been pretty good comrades on and off stage. Ivan´s friendly and unreserved nature made it very easy to us, as he always treated us as partners, demonstrated respect for what we contributed, and allowed us being in the spotlight as well.

Ivan Rebroff and us together on stage somewhere in Austria

Ivan Rebroff and us on stage somewhere in Austria

Despite his success Ivan has never been conceited and never got big-headed, he was in fact equipped with an inimitable sense of (not always good natured :-) humor which had a strong notion of making fun of himself and the "status" he achieved. He never took himself seriously, but he had the highest demands on his art and performance.

Ivan Rebroff was the archetypal "if I´ll ever have to die, let it happen on stage" artist; singing and acting was what he dearly loved and definitely knew to get across to a demanding audience which expected to get entertained with class and style and which always got just that.


Ivan Rebroff and us live in Bruxelles, 1986

Need to get this off my chest after all this time

Ivan even happened to be on good terms with the german tabloid press, all the more they (that would, regretfully, nowadays be quite uncommon...) used to behave very well by never breaking one particular taboo:

Like so many artists (and non artists), Ivan was gay. Not openly, as this would have ruined his aspiring career in the (in regards to homosexuality notably more prude...) sexties and seventies, but everyone who knew him, knew that -- however, I´m absolutely convinced that he would indeed have felt much more comfortable by living an openly gay life rather than trying hard to obfuscate this (at least in this "trade" an open...) secret by telling nosey interviewers he considered himself an "confirmed bachelor", what´s in itself of course a a pretty broad hint and a common euphemism for gay men since the Victorian Era.

Gay folks, in particular famous artists who happened to be gay, never had an easy life in Germany those bygone decades. Thankfully the times have changed to some extent, as homosexual artists are nowadays at least tolerated and won´t necessarily risk their career, as long their chosen genre grants them a certain amount of latitude. Regretfully Ivan didn´t have this luck, as he happened to address an audience, which - at least in Germany - was an increasingly aging and rather conservative one, means they clearly wouldn´t have approved their hero to admit being homosexual. It must be said, that the "russian folklore" genre certainly makes it extra hard for gay singers to come out of their closet, as the western audience will require him to perfectly personify "russian" religious attitudes plus several pretty archaic clichés, and giving an impression of "masculinity" is expected from real and supposed russian singers not just since "Dr. Schiwago" was released.

Well, I don´t know if Ivan really had to struggle with this dilemma, but unlike other famous gay artists who really despaired of having to hide their disposition, Ivan apparently managed to come to terms with it by just living life the way he wanted and evade to his adopted country, the greek island Skopelos, whenever possible.

Dear Ivan, may you rest in peace -- and I´m absolutely sure you´ll bring some fun to heaven, same as you did on earth :-)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're wrong. Ivan wasn't gay. I knew him during more than 4 years (and I'm a woman...) and I know that. If you can introduce me a man who says he had a sexual relation with Ivan, I'll say he was bisexual, perhaps...

Anonymous said...

I'm truly sorry Mr. Schenk passed away as well. I believe what he states to be kindly and no way offensively said. I simply wish, though, that if Ivan (Hans) has wished to discuss what went on behind closed doors, he would have done so himself, at one point or another. He was a brilliant and gentle giant of a man, who had a glorious voice, and he'll be missed.

Anonymous said...

I mistakenly sent a comment, but erroneously referred to Mr. Schenk as having passed away. I'm very sorry. I humbly apologize and meant no offense.

Günter Schenk said...

@Anonymous (28/12/09, 11:25 and 11:51):

I hope to still walk the earth for years to come ;-)

----------
I simply wish, though, that if Ivan (Hans) has wished to discuss what went on behind closed doors, he would have done so himself, at one point or another
---------

I agree absolutely, but I fear that certain "social circumstances" at that time (frankly said: a climate of distinctive prudery and bigotry at least in Germany) would not have allowed him to live an openly gay life.

Ivan (this applies to a huge part of his "first" audience as well incl. my parents who are about his age) are what I´d call "children of the 3rd Reich" who were heavily influenced by a state-run education which, among others, tried very hard to implant that particular anti-homosexual mindset by brainwashing everyone that gay men and women are to be considered antisocial perverts and that it´s OK to even deprive them of their civil liberty, and it´s also been them to were captured and sent to concentration camps and subsequently murdered.

It´s needless to say that this mindset unfortunately happened to survive the 3rd Reich for at least one generation and certainly determined the way how gays were still treated in the German 50´s and 60´s -- no longer killed of course, but hardly ever tolerated.

Monika, Toronto said...

My parents came to Canada from Germany in 1953. I grew up hearing Ivan Rebroff on our record player, and my parents were fortunate enough to meet him at a concert he had in Toronto, and he was very gracious & signed their souvenir programme (which my mother still has). While trying to find some DVDs of him for my mother, who is now in a nursing home, I just now found out he had passed away. I would like to thank Mr. Schenk for sharing his memories of Ivan... the internet can, after all, be a wonderful thing, can't it?

Anonymous said...

Victoria, Vancouver, BC

I mother, Formally Irene Koch, knew Ivan Rebroff (Hans Rippert) wery well in the 1950. They studies in Hamburg under Herr Fiebisch. (not sure of spelling) My mother's boyfriend (Hanz Leinert) was good friends with Ivan. when Ivan Rebroff came to Massey Hall in Toronto in the 70's he mentioned my mother on stage. According to my mother he said he heart was broken because my father married my mother. Mom, of course, found this very amusing since she knew he was gay. We still have pictures of my parents and Ivan together backstage. My mother has very fond memories of him in Germany and says he was a wonderful man.

Anonymous said...

Saludos desde Santiago de Chile.

Conocí las interpretaciones de Rebroff hace escasos 3 años, gracias a Internet.

Me fascinan sus interpretaciones. Ahora yo lo difundo entre amigos y conocidos. Siempre impresiona. Mi madre por ejemplo se indentifica con su Yiddishe mame.

Saludos, Saúl