Opus (Austrian band)

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{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Opus

| image = Opus 20080510 performing on Krieau stage, Vienna.jpg

| caption = Opus performing in Vienna in 2008

| image_size = 250

| landscape = Yes

| background = group_or_band

| origin = Graz, Austria

| years_active = 1973–2021{{cite web | url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/austria-opus_el-grupo-austr%C3%ADaco-opus---live-is-life---se-retira-despu%C3%A9s-de-48-a%C3%B1os/47208864|title=El grupo austríaco Opus ("Live is Life") se retira después de 48 años|website=SwissInfo|date=21 December 2021|access-date=27 May 2025|language=es}}

| genre = Pop rock

| label = Philips, OK Musica, RCA Victor, Polydor, Dino Music

| associated_acts =

| website = {{URL|opus.at}}

| current_members = {{Unbulleted list|Herwig Rüdisser|Ewald Pfleger|Kurt-Rene Plisnier|Günter Grasmuck}}

| past_members = {{Unbulleted list|Walter Bachkönig|Hans Palier|Niki Gruber}}

}}

Opus was an Austrian pop-rock group. It was formed in 1973 in Graz and disbanded in 2021. The band was mainly known for its 1985 single release, "Live Is Life", which reached the Top 10 in several European countries.

History

In 1985, Opus released "Live Is Life", which ranked first in various global charts. This included Canada, which ranked for seven weeks in late 1985 and early 1986.Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide (2000). Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada A live recording of the song made the Top 40 in the US in 1986. It ranked sixth in the UK Singles Chart on 3 August 1985, and stayed in the charts for 15 weeks.{{Cite book|first=David|last=Roberts|year=2006|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|edition=19th|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|location=London|isbn=1-904994-10-5|page= 408}}

Another standout track from Opus was the power ballad "Flyin' High", a live version of which appeared both on the Live is Life album, and a successful US release, Up and Down. At a concert in the mid-1980s, fellow Austrian rock star Falco joined Opus on stage for a rendition of "Flyin' High". On 24 November 2021, Opus performed the song in front of celebrating Austrian government officials during the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web|title=Opus mit "Live is Life"|url=https://tvthek.orf.at/profile/Gala-fuer-Licht-ins-Dunkel/13892356/Die-Gala-fuer-Licht-ins-Dunkel/14114261/Opus-mit-Live-Is-Life/15042717|publisher=ORF|access-date=28 November 2021|language=de}}{{Dead link|date=May 2025}} The group disbanded the same year on 21 December.

In popular culture

Cover versions of "Live is Life" have also been performed by Stargo, Laibach, the Hungarian band Tormentor, the Estonian band Kuldne Trio ("Laip on Laip"), Axxis, and Dolapdere Big Gang. Additionally, as a guest, DJ Ötzi released a version with the Hermes House Band in 2002, which reached #50 in the UK chart.{{Cite book|first=David|last=Roberts|year=2006|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|edition=19th|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|location=London|isbn=1-904994-10-5|page=251}}

Band members

=Current members=

Herwig Rüdisser – vocals
Ewald Pfleger – guitar, backing vocals
Kurt-Rene Plisnier – keyboard
Günter Grasmuck – drums, percussion

=Timeline=

ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20

PlotArea = left:100 bottom:125 top:5 right:10

Alignbars = justify

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy

Period = from:01/01/1973 till:01/01/2021

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors =

id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals

id:bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals

id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar

id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards

id:bass value:blue legend:Bass

id:drums value:orange legend:Drums

id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album

id:bars value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3

ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:01/01/1973

BarData =

bar:Rüdisser text:"Herwig Rüdisser"

bar:Pfleger text:"Ewald Pfleger"

bar:Plisnier text:"Kurt-René Plisnier"

bar:Bachkönig text:"Walter Bachkönig"

bar:Gruber text:"Niki Gruber"

bar:Grasmuck text:"Günter Grasmuck"

PlotData=

width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)

bar:Rüdisser from:01/07/1978 till:end color:vocals

bar:Rüdisser from:01/07/1978 till:end color:guitar width:3

bar:Pfleger from:01/01/1973 till:end color:guitar

bar:Pfleger from:01/07/1978 till:end color:bvocals width:3

bar:Pfleger from:01/01/1973 till:01/07/1978 color:vocals width:3

bar:Plisnier from:01/01/1973 till:end color:keys

bar:Bachkönig from:01/01/1973 till:01/07/1980 color:bass

bar:Gruber from:01/07/1980 till:01/07/1991 color:bass

bar:Grasmuck from:01/07/1974 till:end color:drums

LineData =

at:01/01/1980 color:black layer:back

at:01/01/1981 color:black layer:back

at:01/01/1982 color:black layer:back

at:01/01/1984 color:black layer:back

at:01/01/1985 color:black layer:back

at:01/01/1987 color:black layer:back

at:01/01/1990 color:black layer:back

at:01/01/1992 color:black layer:back

at:01/01/1996 color:black layer:back

at:01/01/2004 color:black layer:back

at:01/01/2017 color:black layer:back

{{cite web |url=http://www.opus.at/ |title=Home|website=Opus official website|access-date=27 May 2025}}

Discography

=Studio albums=

Daydreams (1980)
Eleven (1981)
The Opusition (1982)
Up and Down (1984)
Solo (1985)
Opus (1987)
Magical Touch (1990)
Walkin' on Air (1992)
Love, God & Radio (1996)
The Beat Goes On (2004)
Opus Magnum (2020)

=Live albums=

Live Is Life (1984)
Jubileé (1993)
Tonight at the Opera (2009)
Graz Liebenau (2013)

=Compilation albums=

Best of (1985)
Greatest Hits – The Power of Live Is Life (1998)
Flyin' Higher – Greatest Hits (2003)
Back to Future – The Ultimate Best-Of (2008)

=Singles (selection)=

scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;"\| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:0.5em;"\| Release ! colspan="8" scope="col" \| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;"\| Album
class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
width="24"\| AUT ! width="24"\| FRA ! width="24"\| GER ! width="24"\| ITA ! width="24"\| NL ! width="24"\| SWI ! width="24"\| UK ! width="24"\| US
---- bgcolor="#f0f0ff" !scope="row"\| "Flyin' High" \| align="left" valign="top"\| 1982 \|align="center" valign="top" \|5 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top" \|45 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top" \|5 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
---- bgcolor="#f0f0ff" !scope="row"\| "Live Is Life" \| align="left" valign="top"\| 1985 \|align="center" valign="top" \|1 \|align="center" valign="top" \|1 \|align="center" valign="top" \|1 \|align="center" valign="top" \|6 \|align="center" valign="top" \|3 \|align="center" valign="top" \|2 \|align="center" valign="top" \|6 \|align="center" valign="top" \|32
---- bgcolor="#f0f0ff" !scope="row"\| "Flyin' High (live version)" \|align="left" valign="top"\| 1985 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top" \|37 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top" \|5 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
---- bgcolor="#f0f0ff" !scope="row"\| "Whiteland" \| align="left" valign="top"\| 1987 \|align="center" valign="top" \|3 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top" \| \|align="center" valign="top" \|39 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
---- bgcolor="#f0f0ff" !scope="row"\| "Faster and Faster" \| align="left" valign="top"\| 1988 \|align="center" valign="top" \|12 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
---- bgcolor="#f0f0ff" !scope="row"\| "Gimme Love" \| align="left" valign="top"\| 1992 \|align="center" valign="top" \|9 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
---- bgcolor="#f0f0ff" !scope="row"\| "The Power of Live Is Life" \| align="left" valign="top"\| 1994 \|align="center" valign="top" \|3 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
---- bgcolor="#f0f0ff" !scope="row"\| "Life Is Live (Live)" \| align="left" valign="top"\| 2019 \|align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
align="center" valign="top"
colspan="10" style="font-size:90%" \| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

External links

[http://www.opus.at/home.php?lang=4 The Official Opus Homepage]
{{MusicBrainz artist|id=1ade789e-c133-43f3-8a92-ec69a30acb85|name=Opus}}

Category:Austrian pop rock music groups

Category:English-language musical groups from Austria

Category:Musical groups established in 1973