In the 1990s, Axel Zwingenberger rediscovered his old passion for steam locomotives and began photographing them intensively. This eventually led to the publication of a highly acclaimed photo book.
The Photo Book »The Magic of Trains«
A large-format, bibliophile photo book with 372 pages, lavishly printed in full colour throughout and bound in fine black linen. Two CDs and a sheet music folio are incorporated into the book covers.
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ISBN 3-926398-02-7
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JA/NEIN Musikverlag GmbH
Kollaustraße 11-13
D-22529 Hamburg, Germany
E-mail: janeinmv@aol.com -
The book and all CDs are available from specialist retailers or can be ordered directly from our online shop.
An Interdisciplinary Work
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More than 200 photographs of steam locomotives by Axel Zwingenberger, mostly staged at night using a large-format camera and elaborate flash equipment
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CD 1 featuring partly previously unreleased train-themed recordings by Axel Zwingenberger, including collaborations with Big Joe Turner, Jay McShann, Red Holloway and many others
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CD 2 featuring atmospheric sound recordings of steam locomotives in motion
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A sheet music transcription of his solo piano composition »Thundertrain«
Awards
European Newspaper Award 2000
Photography category
for the front page of the weekend journal of the Hamburger Abendblatt dated September 23, 2000, designed using photographs from Axel Zwingenberger’s book »The Magic of Trains«
Feature in GEO Magazine, Issue 05/01
Axel Zwingenberger’s photographic work was featured across 13 large-format pages.
Press Quotes
»Pictures Like Boogie Woogie«
»... Zwingenberger has captured the essence of this passion, which has also strongly influenced his music, in his photo book ‘The Magic of Trains’. To allow readers to experience this magic for themselves, the author has spared no effort in the quality of the printing and paper. An accompanying CD featuring authentic steam locomotive sounds adds an acoustic dimension to the experience of these 170-ton machines. The book also contains extensive technical details for each photograph, along with short stories about the encounters the musician had during his photographic journeys.
A book for railway enthusiasts and photographers, as well as for admirers of his music. As a bonus, it includes a CD featuring pieces such as ‘Steel Dragon’ and ‘Thundertrain’. The latter is also included as sheet music, allowing readers to play it themselves. The first edition has already sold out...!«
Münchner Merkur, March 12, 2001
»Full Steam Ahead for the Bertini Prize«
»... In three railway carriages, renowned exhibition designer Holger von Neuhoff – well remembered in Hamburg for his ‘Expedition Titanic’ – has created a small but impressive exhibition on the history of steam trains. It features exhibits from the Nuremberg Railway Museum as well as installations designed to bring to life not only the historical facts but also the atmospheric magic of this once revolutionary means of transport. Large-format photographs from Zwingenberger’s book also play their part, bringing viewers remarkably close to the locomotives and the railwaymen who worked with them....
For the exhibition, a larger model steam engine was required. Author Ralph Giordano, who chronicled his family’s tragic history during the so-called Third Reich in his Hamburg family saga ‘The Bertinis’ and whose work gave the Bertini Prize its name, is himself a passionate collector of model steam engines. Two of his models found their way into the train, and the organisers were inspired by Giordano’s enthusiasm for the Bertini Prize, whose board of trustees he serves as honorary chairman....«
Hamburger Abendblatt, June 2, 2001
»The Magic of Trains« exhibition, Hamburg
Altona Station, June 9–24, 2001
»Steam Locomotives Tell of the Magic of Trains«
An Exhibition Exploring the Myth of the Railway
»The travelling exhibition begins its tour of Germany in Braunschweig. ‘We also make use of written texts, asking journalists to describe why technology holds such fascination,’ explains renowned exhibition designer Holger Freiherr von Neuhoff. ‘Bringing history to life’ is his aim. In the spirit of his ‘Titanic’ exhibition in Hamburg, he invites visitors to experience the myth of the railway with all their senses: they can smell the coal and hear the breathing and hissing of steam locomotives. Axel Zwingenberger’s boogie woogie provides the musical backdrop.
This American style of music was already familiar to railway workers in the United States, Neuhoff explains. ‘The blues rhythms of the bass reflect the clattering of the wheels and the hissing of the steam train,’ he says....«
Braunschweiger Zeitung, May 24, 2001
»The Magic of Trains« exhibition, Braunschweig
Nordbahnhof, May 12–27, 2001
European Newspaper Award 2000
Photography Category
For the front page of the weekend journal of the Hamburger Abendblatt dated September 23, 2000, designed using photographs from Axel Zwingenberger’s book »The Magic of Trains«.