Both members worked a lot in other projects in the years before. Conny played the violin for more than ten years and performed in many orchestras. She also sang in some classical choruses and as a soloist, and is familiar with baroque and romantic compositions like G.F. Handel, E. Grieg or Pergolesi.
Olaf was in his childhood a member of the "Stadtsingechor Halle", the oldest chorus of the world. Later, he played in many musical projects and bands, and also composed for TV. He studied musicology and philosophy.
In 1994 the second album, "Porta VIII" (Hyperium), was released. It has a concept based on the fairy tale "Ariadne et Barbe Bleue" by Maurice Maeterlinck, but "Porta VIII" is a continuation of the original fairy tale. This album too was selling more than 10 000 copies worldwide and climbed the Mexican charts.
Since 1997 there was a new line-up. Conny left sToa to follow her classical career, and the new singer was Antje Buchheiser. Buchheiser had been playing violin for more than eleven years, and had been singing in the classical chorus "Hallenser Madrigalisten". She performed a lot in classical music, in, among others, Germany, Japan and Cuba.
Another new member since 1996 was Christiane Fischer. She plays cello and is singing the second voice at live concerts. sToa signed to the German publisher Alster Musikverlag. In 1997 the band left their old label Hyperium for various reasons.
sToa performed sporadically at special places or events. They played for example at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in a one hundred years old and eighty metres high monument in front of more than 1 000 people, at the “Zeche Carl” in Essen, in the Netherlands and several times in Mexico (inter alia with the Goethe-Institut).
In 2001 they finished their album "Zal". It was released worldwide, but first in Mexico at "Samadhi Musik". sToa signed to the German label "Alice in ...", where they released "Zal" for the rest of the world and re-released "Urthona" and "Porta VIII". The singer on "Zal" was Antje Buchheiser.
In 2008 sToa returned with international line-up. The new album "Silmand" was released on September 26th. "Silmand" means soul month. With it the month September is titled in an almost forgotten German dialect. The female voices on the album belong to sToa's new main-singer Mandy Bernhardt and the Australian multi-instrumentalist Louisa John-Krol. Furthermore, the Dutchman Pieter Nooten (Ex-Clan of Xymox) could be engaged as well as the Leipzig-based Ralf Jehnert (Love is Colder than Death). One of the songs on "Silmand" was already used as film score ("Tacitum"). The title of the song "Hanuz Nist" comes from the Persian lyrics written by Hassan Dehlawi at the 14th century.
Ariels Song
sToa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of his bones are coral made...
Those are pearls that were his eyes.
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange ...
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell.
Hark! now I hear them -
Ding-dong bell.
[William Shakespeare]
The lyrics to sToa's song "Ariel's Song" are a haunting rendition of a portion of William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest." The lines speak of the death of a father who has sunk to the bottom of the sea, where his bones have transformed into coral and his eyes into pearls. Despite his physical change, however, the essence of who he was has not faded away but instead shifted into something "rich and strange." The sea-nymphs, mythical beings of the sea, ring his knell hourly, their mournful sounds conveyed through the repetition of the words "Ding-Dong" and "Hark!" This verse has been interpreted as a tribute to the transformative power of death, which is portrayed as a shift into a different form rather than an end.
The song itself is a beautiful, almost mournful composition, with a minimalist musical arrangement that allows the lyrics to take center stage. The vocals are ethereal, almost otherworldly, lending a sense of enchantment to the words. The refrain of "Ding-Dong" adds a poignant beauty, giving the impression of church bells tolling in the distance. The overall effect is haunting, touching something deep within the listener's soul.
Line by Line Meaning
Full fathom five thy father lies,
Your father lies at the bottom of the ocean, fully submerged and unreachable.
Of his bones are coral made...
His skeletal remains are covered in coral, becoming one with the ocean floor.
Those are pearls that were his eyes.
His eyes have turned into gleaming pearls, like treasures of the sea.
Nothing of him that doth fade,
Nothing about him fades away, instead everything about him becomes a part of the surrounding environment.
But doth suffer a sea-change
But rather he undergoes a transformation and becomes something entirely different by the ocean's influence.
Into something rich and strange ...
He becomes something very unusual and exceptional through this change.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell.
The sea-nymphs sing his funeral rites every hour, reminding us of his departure.
Ding-Dong.
Hark! now I hear them -
Listen! I can now hear them singing...
Ding-dong bell.
... the mournful ringing of the funeral bell to honour the passing of your father.
Contributed by Isabella H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
IMCassia
Not sure what to find more amazing - the music, or the visuals. Either way, it's high art. Thank you.
Venus Shrine
This is so beautiful! Pure Art! Thank you for sharing!
thomas jester
this song sends chills down my spine love it
carles bermudo
Stoa,
un referente en música conceptual, me gusta!
evelyn regina
todas las conciones de Stoa me dan piel de galina. madre mia , que viaje!!!! creo que me vuelvo al pasado muy lejano.
patton59
Le temps est arrêté dans ce somptueux décor, sur une musique exquise ! Sublime !
Islandsprincesas
Hermoso...!!! Definitivamente, creo qeu vivo una epoca que no me corresponde..o que nos reencarnamos de nuevo y añoro esos vestidos y esos espacios rodeada de objetos bellos.....Jajajajajajajajajajaj!!! Debe ser que soy Libra pura..... Gracias, precioso video.
Unknow user
Tienes mucha razón me pasa lo mismo 🖤 saludos.
GothGob
Excellent!!!! Thank u very much!!!
valmont1602
ooo finally i found this song... my favourite from them beatifull song