Wolf Biermann to release new album ahead of 90th birthday

Singer-songwriter and author Wolf Biermann is releasing a new album on September 11, featuring 19 of his most popular tracks. The release coincides with his upcoming 90th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his expatriation from the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

The album serves as a retrospective of his work, which has been deeply shaped by his experiences in East Germany. Biermann, who moved from Hamburg to East Berlin as a young communist, famously clashed with the ruling SED party. His life was marked by intense surveillance by the Stasi and a long-standing performance ban, eventually leading to his citizenship revocation following a concert in Cologne in 1976.

His music, often performed with only a concert guitar, includes iconic songs such as ‘Ermutigung’ and ‘Stasi-Ballade’. The new collection reflects on themes of political struggle, bureaucracy, and the search for peace, bridging his historical experiences with contemporary relevance.