Indeed. Hans-Gunther Klein, the then director of the Junges Theater Göttingen, had seen the famous French chansonnière Barbara at a concert in early 1964 and invited her to perform in Göttingen. Due to her life story and her own escape from the Nazis, she initially declined the invitation, but then reluctantly accepted it the following day. She demanded that a grand piano be provided for her performance. When she arrived at the theater on July 4, 1964, however, she found a baby grand piano on the stage. Barbara was extremely annoyed and categorically refused to give the concert. It seemed impossible to fulfill her request, although Hans-Gunther Klein tried everything. In the end, however, a grand piano was procured, which an old lady had made available and which ten students carried through the city. Despite the artist's initial displeasure and the two-hour delay before the concert began, Barbara was enthusiastically celebrated by the audience, which greatly impressed her.
Due to the great success of her first appearance and the unexpectedly warm atmosphere in the city, she extended her engagement by a week. On the afternoon before her last concert, she summarized the impressions she had gathered over the past few days, which had been unexpectedly positive, in the rough version of the chanson Göttingen, which she wrote in the garden of the Junges Theater, and performed it (not yet fully formulated and with a different melody) that same evening. The success of the chanson was sudden and overwhelming. She then returned to Paris, where she completed the lyrics and composition.
The Junges Theater at that time was housed in the house of the current Lumiere cinema.
Due to the great success of her first appearance and the unexpectedly warm atmosphere in the city, she extended her engagement by a week. On the afternoon before her last concert, she summarized the impressions she had gathered over the past few days, which had been unexpectedly positive, in the rough version of the chanson Göttingen, which she wrote in the garden of the Junges Theater, and performed it (not yet fully formulated and with a different melody) that same evening. The success of the chanson was sudden and overwhelming. She then returned to Paris, where she completed the lyrics and composition.
The Junges Theater at that time was housed in the house of the current Lumiere cinema.