The National Anthem, a St George’s Day gift for King Charles III from Austrian maverick
Trickster, the alias of Austrian musician and entrepreneur Juergen Pichler, has only one rule: “do it big, or don’t do it”. And so he is making his stirring new rendition of the UK national anthem available on 23 April 2024, St. George’s Day. A brand new arrangement commissioned from the feted Callum Au, who also conducted the players, this version was recorded in Studio One at Abbey Road, and features an expanded line-up of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Of course, the very best available.
Trickster said, “So, yes I am Austrian, but I love the UK and I wanted to make something special. I hope that when he hears it, it brings some joy to King Charles, and of course the whole country. This is something new for me, but I have made Rock songs, Swing songs, Pop songs and Dance songs before.”
The process to create this incredible recording started before the news of the King’s diagnosis, and is now intended as both a gift and a tribute to the head of state of a country to which Trickster has made contributions to both social and cultural life.
Much of Trickster’s music was recorded in legendary UK studios, Abbey Road itself of course, but also RAK, Angel and more. The video for his swing-infused Christmas single ‘Silent Night v Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’ was shot at Pinewood Studios – and racked up over a million YouTube views. Working at Pinewood Studios was a great experience, and Trickster is also now moving into filmmaking, with his first project being an action movie – based on real life events – entitled ‘Travel Agents’. Trickster will feature in the film himself, and some big movie names are in the mix to join him.
The Trickster philosophy also embraces the idea of challenging the old ways of doing things, and making a genuine difference. His motto is “Real change is no joke”, and he has put his money where his mouth is in the UK with a string of large donations to foodbanks across the country, in London he ‘out gave’ Tesco in 2022, and his most recent support has gone to the South West Belfast initiative.
So, all rise please for this stirring version of ‘God Save The King’, the first version to be recorded for the monarch by a foreign national. The next stage is to find the right occasion at which to perform it, Wembley Stadium perhaps, but of course Trickster would love to debut it at Buckingham Palace itself.
