The radio play queen Heikedine Körting is celebrating 80 years of success!

The radio play queen Heikedine Körting is celebrating 80 years of success!

A true icon of the radio play world is celebrating her 80th birthday today: Heikedine Körting, the producer behind legendary series such as “The Three ???”, “TKKG”, “Hanni and Nanni” and “Five Friends”, has thrilled numerous generations with her stories. She has been closely associated with the Europa label since the early 1970s and has produced, spoken and directed over 3,000 radio plays. Her impressive career has not only earned her over 180 gold and platinum awards, she is also considered the most successful producer in the field, as der-reporter.de reports.

During her career, Körting has compiled a remarkable compendium of sounds for radio plays; she has collected over 100,000 sounds herself. This not only shows their great commitment, but also their talent for creating the right atmosphere for their stories. “The three???” are the most successful radio play series in the world, with an impressive 55 million records sold and 32 billion streams, adds idowa.de.

A life for radio play

Heikedine Körting not only halved the reception workshop of her life with her commitment - her collaboration with her husband Andreas Beurmann shaped her for decades. Together they leased the Hasselburg estate in Ostholstein in 1977, where they created a cultural center in which numerous radio plays were released. The two were also involved in the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival (SHMF). The estate played a central role in her work; many of the works that have cult status today were created there, as der-reporter.de cannot go unmentioned.

In 2021, the HÖR.SPIEL Museum was opened in Bad Segeberg, the first interactive museum of its kind, which offers visitors an insight into the fascinating world of radio plays. In addition, Körting and her life's work were not only recognized in the radio play community, but were also awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, which underlines her importance as a cultural bearer.

A look back

Growing up with the impact of her early illness from polio, Körting impressively processed her childhood and career in the biography “Heikedine Körting – The Queen of Radio Plays”. In this book, companions, speakers and fans have their say and provide a deep insight into the creative world of the radio play icon, who learned the trade from mixing consoles to recording technology and sound production. It should be noted that many well-known actors, such as Peter Pasetti and Horst Frank, took part in her productions - a sign of the great trust she enjoys within the industry.

The history of radio drama itself is fascinating, as it goes back to the beginnings of radio. The first German radio play broadcast was “Zauberei auf dem Sender” in 1924. Over the decades, the radio play has always been a reflection of social changes and ultimately also offered the space for creative and political linguistic criticism, as lmz-bw.de illustrates. Körting shares these roots, which began at a time when the medium was flourishing in Germany.

Heikedine Körting remains an integral part of our cultural memory as the “Queen of Radio Plays”. Their successes and their tireless commitment to this radio play medium will continue to have an impact for a long time.