Quasthoff was born with serious birth defects caused by his mother's exposure during pregnancy to the drug thalidomide which was prescribed as an antiemetic to combat her morning sickness. Thomas Quasthoff is unusually short (about four feet tall) due to shortening of the long bones in his legs, and he has phocomelia of the upper extremities with very short or absent long bones and flipper-like appearance of his hands.
Quasthoff was denied admission to the music conservatory in Hannover, Germany due to his physical inability to play the piano, then a requirement for entry to the conservatory. He chose to study voice privately. He also studied law for three years. Prior to his music career, he worked six years as a radio announcer for NDR. He also did voice-over work for television.
His music career was launched in 1988 when he won an important competition in Munich, earning praise from the baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. In 2003, he made his staged operatic debut as Don Fernando in Simon Rattle's Beethoven's Fidelio at the Salzburg Festival. His San Francisco Symphony debut took place September 2004.
Thomas Quasthoff won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance in 2000. It was for his performance together with the soprano Anne Sofie von Otter of Mahler’s Lieder aus "Des Knaben Wunderhorn". They were accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado. He won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for the second time in 2004. It was for Schubert: Lieder with Orchestra which Quasthoff performed with von Otter and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Abbado. Quasthoff won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for the third time in 2006 with Rainer Kussmaul leading members of the RIAS Chamber Choir of Berlin Baroque Soloists in their recording of J.S.Bach: Cantatas.
Additionally, Quasthoff's recordings of the songs of Brahms, Liszt and Schubert accompanied by pianist Justus Zeyen were nominated for the Grammy in 2000 and 2001. Thomas Quasthoff records for Deutsche Grammophon.
Quasthoff is a full-time voice professor and performs only about 50 times a year. He was a professor at the music academy of Detmold, Germany. He currently teaches at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin.
For the 2006-2007 concert season, Quasthoff was one of Carnegie Hall's "Perspectives" artists. However, illness forced him to cancel his first two appearances in that capacity.
In 2006 he took his first jazzalbum, "The Jazzalbum - Watch what happens", with Till Brönner, Alan Broadbent, Peter Erskine, Dieter Ilg and Chuck Loeb.
In the spring of 2012, Quasthoff announced his retirement at the age of 52. During an interview with the German magazine, Der Spiegel, Quasthoff said that his retirement was due to grief at the death of his brother, as well as a recent bout of laryngitis. He also went on to speak that he was now satisfied that the world had not just listened to his art due to his physical challenges, but that his art was truly respected for itself.
I Can't Stand The Rain
Thomas Quasthoff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Against my window
Bringing back sweet memories
Hey, window pane
Do you remember
How sweet it used to be
Everything was so grand
Now that we've parted
There's just one sound
That I just can't stand
I can't stand the rain
Against my window
Bringing back sweet memories
I can't stand the rain
Against my window
'Cause he's not here with me
Alone with the pillow
Where his head used to lay
I know you've got
Some sweet memories
But like the window
You ain't got nothing to say
I can't stand the rain
Against my window
Bringing back sweet memories
I can't stand the rain
Against my window
Just keeps on haunting me
Hey, rain
Get off my window
The lyrics of Thomas Quasthoff's song "I Can't Stand The Rain" show the singer's deep nostalgia and sadness as he is reminded of a past lover by the sound of rain against his window. He addresses the window pane, asking if it remembers how sweet it used to be when they were together. The memories of their time together are still vivid, but since they've parted, the only sound that remains is the sound of rain against the window pane.
He is unable to stand the sound of rain anymore, as it brings back memories that are too painful. Even though he has some sweet memories, he feels alone as he lies in bed with only the pillow that used to hold his ex-lover's head. In the end, he pleads with the rain to get off his window, as he can no longer bear the haunting memories that it brings back.
The lyrics of "I Can't Stand The Rain" beautifully capture the feelings of nostalgia, longing, and heartbreak. It is a powerful ode to lost love and the pain that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't stand the rain
The rain is causing emotional distress.
Against my window
The raindrops are falling on the windowpane, making a repetitive sound.
Bringing back sweet memories
The rain is rekindling fond memories of the past.
Hey, window pane
The artist addresses the window pane directly.
Do you remember
The artist is nostalgic and hoping the window pane shares the same sentiment.
How sweet it used to be
The singer wistfully recalls a happier time in the past.
When we was together
The singer is mourning the end of a relationship.
Everything was so grand
The relationship was perfect and wonderful.
Now that we've parted
The relationship is over now.
There's just one sound
The sound of the rain is the only thing left to be heard since the relationship has ended.
That I just can't stand
The singer is overwhelmed by the emotions caused by the sound of the rain.
'Cause he's not here with me
The artist feels the pain of being without their loved one.
Alone with the pillow
The singer is lying in bed without their love beside them.
Where his head used to lay
The singer remembers how their lover used to sleep beside them.
I know you've got
The singer is addressing the window pane again, acknowledging that it too has memories.
Some sweet memories
The window pane has seen and heard everything, just like the artist.
But like the window
Both the window pane and the artist have memories, but neither can change the past.
You ain't got nothing to say
Neither the window pane nor the singer can change the fact that the relationship has ended.
Just keeps on haunting me
The sound of the rain is a constant reminder of the pain the singer feels.
Hey, rain
The artist addresses the rain directly, as if it is to blame for their heartache.
Get off my window
The artist just wants to be able to forget and move on from their lost love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Ann Peebles, Bernard Miller, Don Bryant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind