Klaus Nomi - Za Bakdaz: The Unfinished Opera

Heliocentric
(HCR001-1A: 708527250150/HCR001-1B: 708527250150/HCR001-2: 708527240120)
Release date: 07/06/2009
Genre: Opera, Outer Space

$24.00

Klaus Nomi's unfinished opera. Completed and released by his band members after he left the planet.

First time on vinyl. Limited edition of 1000. 500 transparent blue and 500 transparent red. Expected to arrive mid July 2025.

Available now on CD.

The album cover is a combo of two sides of Klaus: Red (Religion) and Blue (Science).
What two words explain how Klaus came back to make Za Bakdaz?
INTUSRCORERE = Resurrection (Red letters for Religion)

RINTAMEOIAN = Reanimation (Blue Letters for Science)

And the serious collector will need both!

LP track list:

1. High Wire 2. Valentine's Day 3. Enchante 4. Overture 5. Cre Spoda 6. Metronomi 7. Intermezzo 8. Za Bakdaz (Live) 9. Perne-a-Gyre 10. Finale 11. Rubber Band Lazer 12. Silent Night 13. Za Bakdaz (Manny Parrish Remix)

Klaus Nomi's Unfinished Symphony, or Operetta, or "Space Western". It was also a song from his show, and it's the title of this new release. Loosely translated, it means Heaven, or "Homeland for Nomis". He left behind recordings, photos, and a few videos—but if you had never been in the same room with him... you will never know. A performer of startling vocal ability and even more striking visage, Klaus Nomi had no peer—and due to his untimely departure, the world will never know how he might have applied those talents. When he left Earth on August 6th, 1983, Klaus Nomi took with him the resolution to his Magnum Opus—a work we had always assumed would be titled Za Bakdaz, or "Nomi Homeland". We have decided now, a quarter century later, to present it. What we were not able to do was finish it exactly as he might have; the result is in equal parts a collaboration, a tribute, an historical artifact, and a mystery. The parts are sung in several languages—English, German, French, Italian—and interestingly, his own personal "Nomi Language", which we like to call "the Glossolalia". For that reason the libretto could be open to interpretation. In this incomplete state we are left with a musical Rorschach—possibly not what Nomi fans would expect—but still true to both his classical operatic roots and his fascination with all things experimental and futuristic.

From Page Wood (April 2025):

Klaus Nomi is more popular today than he ever was during his brief, but meteoric career back in the early 1980s. Sadly he was one of the earliest victims of the AIDS crisis, and left Earth on August 6, 1983. He apparently returned in 2007, to alert the world that he was in the middle of composing a modern classic opera, and his old team of George Elliott, Page Wood, Joey Arias, and Tony Frere got right on it. The result was an incomplete, but throughly fascinating document recorded in several languages, including his very own. Originally released as CDs and streaming downloads, it has gotten a lot of attention over the years, as new generations re-discover him. Of particular interest are the title track, recorded at one of his live shows; his tribute to Valentine’s Day, and his unique rendition of the Christmas classic, Silent Night.

His fans have had a lot to say about him, like these comments left for Valentine’s Day:

"For some unknown reasons this song brings tears to my eyes"

"Am so glad to have found this beautiful masterpiece in my life"

"What a very unique song. It leaves one speechless"

"If I had to describe a field of brilliantly colored tulips to a blind person, I would play them this song"

"Insanely great.. thanks for posting.. thought i'd never have anything new from Klaus ... this is magic... thank you!"

"Oh god, I don't normally cry whenever i think about celebrities dying and stuff, but when i heard this song, i couldn’t help it"

"Beautiful man, beautiful song. Bless his heart"

"for me this is the most beautiful song I have ever heard"

"KLAUS NOMI IS GOD"