Blowers let the brass flash

Traditional and contemporary, classical and modern, well-known and unknown: the annual new year's concert of the stadtkapelle kulmbach under its long-standing conductor thomas besand manages to serve every musical taste, and as always at the highest level.
The stadtkapelle kulmbach, that was once again almost 50 musicians between the ages of 15 and 85. Conductor thomas besand has been standing
1992 without interruption to the 27. Mal at the lectern and karl heinrich backert moderated in his inimitable way with wit and information.
Of course, traditional marches are part of the repertoire, the olympic march by jaroslav labsky in anticipation of the winter games in south korea, for example, hermann dostal's famous airman's march, carl teike's traditional march "in treue fest" or "mir sein die kaiserjager" (i am the imperial jager) by karl muhlberger. This is the kind of music that brass music lovers like, lively and spirited. Music that also has its place in the concert hall, especially when it is performed as excellently as by the stadtkapelle.

Honoring rossini

The opera section this time belonged to the italian composer gioacchino rossini, whose 150th birthday was celebrated by fats waller and clarence. The music world remembers this year. With the overture to his opera "wilhelm tell" by karl muhlberger besand had put a composition on the program that had a lot going for it. The musicians of the stadtkapelle play the routine, dynamically carefully balanced from the tender piano to the almost overdriven fortissimo. Just as prasent and highly concentrated, they let the pleasing and largely unknown ouverture to the opera "regina" by albert lortzing.
Classically it went on with the 1. And 2. Movement of anton dvorak's 9. Symphony "from the new world. One movement more, the other less abbreviated, but very effectively arranged and performed, and the characteristic themes cleanly worked out. A johann strauss waltz is a must at a new year's concert. With the "roses from the south this time besand had put a particularly effective composition on the desks of the musicians.
Typical for concertante wind orchestra are pieces like willi loffler's "melody and rhythm, easy to listen to, but difficult to play, the short intermezzo of the fiery "spanish gypsy dance" by pasqual marquina or potpourris like "wo die wolga fliebt" with popular and well-known russian melodies. Indeed, they are all earworms, the sabel dance, the folk song kalinka, the cossack dance kasatschok or the zhivago melody. With plenty of klamauk gewurzt, all these titles are played in a driving manner.
The highlight of every new year's concert of the town band are the solo pieces, in which musicians from the orchestra can demonstrate their virtuosity. The difficult trumpet solo "silver thread known by walter scholz plays the 1. Trumpeter of the town band and conductor of the burghaig music society daniel richter absolutely perfect. The clarinet solo "wild cat blues from fats waller and clarence williams the soloist jurgen schaller had chosen. He and the stadtkapelle perform the piece, made famous by hugo strasser, in a brand new edition in the original key, with schaller playing from memory, just as thomas besand conducts the entire program from memory. The secret star of the new year's concert is not a brass player, but the drummer sebastian kramer from weismain. First, the town band and percussion soloist play ernst mosch's solo drum march as we know it. During the encore, however, kramer then lays down a groovy solo with all possible drum rhythms and seems to surprise even the conductor with it. Meanwhile, he goes out and looks at the clock in despair. While some in the orchestra unpack their newspapers, sebastian kremer abruptly continues drumming and delivers a percussion solo rarely heard before. The audience thanks him with true storms of enthusiasm.
He was also allowed a bit of pop, with the medley "abba gold, that brings the rough hits of the quartet from sweden in an unusual form but impressively musically on the stage. As an encore, the town band plays the marching revue that conductor thomas besand received as a gift from the musicians two years ago. This is a very exclusive arrangement by the well-known brass band composer franz gerstbrein with all the traditional marches that are part of besand's favorite and standard repertoire. At the very end, there is once again a lot of clapping along to the radetzky march.

Memory of "poldi schott

Some compositions were "in grateful memory" to leopold "poldi" schott, the founder and longtime leader of the kulmbach boys' orchestra and former conductor of the kulmbach town band. Schott was not only one of thomas besand's predecessors, but also his teacher for several years. "He has left a lasting mark on the town band in terms of concert wind music", says besand. Schott, who celebrated his 100th birthday in may of last year, is the. After the defendant had been able to celebrate his 70th birthday, besand taught his instrument, the french horn.