I Know That One Day a Miracle Will Happen (1942)

I KNOW, A MIRACLE WILL HAPPEN ONE DAY (1942)

Sung: Zarah Leander
Music: Michael Jary
Lyrics by Bruno Balz. He was one of the most prolific German lyricists and popular songwriters. He was active in the homosexual movement and was a member of the League for Human Rights.

While visiting Berlin (2015), I wondered if there was a museum about Zarah Leander and her composer Bruno Balz. Unfortunately, I only found the address and telephone number of a non-public Bruno Balz archive. I dared to call anyway. On the phone, I heard a dismissive male voice asking me the reason for my call. I explained that I live in Paris, where I sing songs by Zarah Leander – also in French. I immediately started singing on the phone: “Ich weiss, es wird einmal ein Wunder gescheh’n, oublier un aussi grand amour”. The man on the phone immediately changed his tone. His name was Jürgen Draeger. Suddenly he became very emotional on the phone and invited me to his home. That is how I entered the private world of Zarah Leander, Bruno Balz and Jürgen Draeger. Jürgen Draeger was the partner of Bruno Balz. He lived in an enormous house where there were many private objects belonging to Zarah Leander, such as furniture, crystal glasses, jewellery, … . There were also the original Bruno Balz scores next to his office. Zarah Leander had lived together with the two gentlemen. Jürgen Draeger was a painter. In his younger years, he was a very attractive actor who, for example, had roles in films by Fassbinder. In the following days, my partner and I were invited into the artistic life of Berlin. Several times we were invited to the Leander house, where I sang her songs, also in French. It was also suggested, or rather requested, that my partner and I sleep in Bruno Balz’s bed. We did not accept this kind offer.