Reading and discussion with Wolfgang Martin (author of the Holger Biege biography) and pop star GERD CHRISTIAN (Holger Biege's brother), featuring his greatest hits
As a poet once said—from the eventful lives of the BIEGE brothers
| Reading and discussion with Wolfgang Martin (author of the Holger Biege biography) and pop star GERD CHRISTIAN (Holger Biege’s brother) performing his greatest hits
on Sunday, September 6, 2026
at 6:00 p.m.
VENUE: Kulturkirche St. Jakobi, Stralsund | Gustav-Adolf-Saal
In the GDR, pianist, singer, composer, and arranger HOLGER BIEGE—born in Greifswald in 1952—was regarded as a “brilliant and exceptional artist.” He taught himself to play the piano and compose from a very early age. Holger Biege was exposed to the great works of classical music at a young age, was a fan of the Beatles, and was inspired by American soul and contemporary classical music. His two AMIGA albums, “Wenn der Abend kommt” and “Circulus,” rank among the best in GDR pop history and remain of great significance in the canon of German-language music to this day.
In 1983, the highly sensitive musician—frustrated by censorship and the administrative barriers of the GDR’s cultural establishment—moved to Hamburg in West Germany. There, too, he faced disappointments. Holger Biege eventually gave up in the face of the music market’s uncompromising commercialism.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, he made a triumphant return to his fans in the East. And when, in 2012—on the occasion of his 60th birthday—he was poised to make a third comeback, he and his family were struck by the devastating blow of an illness that would claim his life six years later.
His friend and patron, radio producer and music journalist WOLFGANG MARTIN, has written the Holger Biege biography under the title of his most famous song, “Sagte mal ein Dichter” (“A Poet Once Said”)… with the help of his brother, pop star GERD
CHRISTIAN, for whom Holger not only composed his biggest hit, “Sag Ihr auch,” but also one of the most timelessly beautiful German pop ballads of all time.
In this tribute to Holger Biege, Wolfgang Martin reads from the book and Gerd Christian sings his brother’s magnificent songs, including “Reichtum der Welt,” “Deine Liebe und mein Lied,” and, of course, the “… Dichter”… plus two of his own hits, written by his brother Holger Biege: “Das eigene Gesicht” and, of course, “Sag Ihr auch”
Gerd Christian was born in Greifswald in 1950 and Holger Biege in 1952; the brothers grew up in Stralsund. Gerd Christian lives in Berlin today. His brother Holger Biege sadly passed away in 2018
Gerd Christian
The hit that bears his name is “Sag Ihr auch.” These famous three words made Greifswald-born Gerd Christian a star almost overnight in 1979 and touched an entire nation. The song, which his brother Holger Biege wrote for him, went on to become a million-seller and has been a staple of the original artist’s repertoire for nearly 40 years now. Like few other songs, it seamlessly blends nostalgia with the present.
Gerd Christian’s career began in 1973. Since the turn of the millennium, Gerd Christian has become an indispensable part of the pan-German Schlager scene. High-profile prime-time shows, such as “Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel” (ZDF), “Musik für Sie” (MDR), or renowned tour programs like the popular “Schlagerstarparaden,” regularly book this charming audience favorite, who also frequently and happily takes the road with his own solo show.
Gerd Christian, a master of his craft with his incomparably versatile voice, remains one of the country’s most beloved performers thanks to his timeless repertoire and his warm, audience-friendly stage presence.
Of course, with that same goosebump-inducing feeling from back then—one that will likely never fade...
Wolfgang Martin,
born in Luckenwalde in 1952, worked as a radio editor and host for the station “Stimme der DDR” starting in 1976; from 1982, he served as editorial director, and from 1986, as head of the music department at the youth radio station DT64.
In 1992, he moved to the newly founded Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg (now rbb) and served as music director at Antenne Brandenburg from May 2003 until his retirement. He has published in numerous music magazines in the GDR, Czechoslovakia, and West Germany and is the author of several non-fiction books on music.
His most recent publications with Bild und Heimat are *How Western Music Made Its Way onto East German Radio* ( 2020) and *You Can’t Catch Birds of Paradise: A Tribute to Tamara Danz* ( 2021).
Tickets are available through the Stralsund Tourist Information Center, online via Reservix, and at the box office.
