Uwe Nolte is a German poet, musician and graphic artist.
Life and work
Uwe Nolte is a contemporary German poet. His work is an attempt to translate the concerns and aesthetics of German Romanticism into the present age. Formally orientated on traditional role models such as Joseph von Eichendorff and Nikolaus Lenau, his poetry is characterised by emotional depth and tenderness, archaic imagery and a fast-paced rhythm. Nolte frequently approaches the contemporary world and personal experiences through ancient symbols, myths, historical figures and nature. Nolte was born and raised in the town of Merseburg. The city is known for the "Merseburger Zaubersprüche", a set of ancient healing incantations from the Germanic pagan era, which has crucially shaped Nolte's understanding of the purpose of poetry and art. Born in 1969, Nolte grew up in the formerly Soviet-occupied Eastern part of Germany. Like many East Germans who were disillusioned with the GDR's ideologically constrained education system, Nolte is entirely self-taught. Major influences on his artistic development were Friedrich Hölderlin, Jakob Böhme and Friedrich Nietzsche. At the age of 21, he served as a soldier at the German-German frontier, where he refused to shoot at fellow Germans who tried to escape from the Soviet- to the US-occupied sector. Unpleasant experiences with the foreign imposed Soviet system did not prevent Nolte from developing a fascination with Russian culture and landscape. In 2011, Nolte moved to Samara with his former partner and fellow artist of Russian-German ancestry, Kristina Zieber. Nolte remains deeply impressed with the archaic and sometimes brute force he encountered in the Russian wilderness, where "powerful spirits are still alive, forming an essential part of people's daily lives." Nolte's Russian experience is reflected in his recent poetry collection "Falke Heime". According to a family legend, Nolte's lineage on his mother's side goes back to the Protestant reformer Martin Luther.
Music
Music is an integral part of Nolte's life and creative path. His poetry has been set to music by independent artists from his home region, such as Forseti from Jena. Nolte himself has been involved in several music projects, such as Barditus, Sonnentau and Orplid. The soundscape of Orplid is experimental, with links to Neofolk and Neoclassical music. It draws inspiration from the main currents of the German tradition: Germanic and Greek mythology, medieval Christian symbolism, 19th century Romanticism, and the all-pervasive notion of the sanctity of nature. The name of the band is taken from the opening line of the poem "Gesang Weylas" by 19th-century Swabian poet Eduard Mörike: "Du bist Orplid, mein Land.". The music is based on lyrics by Nolte and other German poets, such as Friedrich Schiller, Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, Joseph von Eichendorff, Gottfried Benn, Oda Schaefer, Frank Wedekind and Rolf Schilling. Orplid have rendered a musical interpretation of the "Merseburg Incantations" in overtone singing, which Nolte learned from shamans in Russia. In his youth, Nolte was an ardent fan of Manowar, as reflected in his humorous tribute poem, "Manowar". Records by Western bands were extremely difficult to get hold of during the Soviet occupation, with record prices as high as half a month's rent. The ecstatic dynamism of Heavy Metal has never left him, Nolte explains. Orplid have a large following in the underground music scene.
