When the ten virtuoso musicians of German Brass unpack their lustrous horns, trombones, trumpets and tubas and strike up Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Ratswechsel” Cantata, written to mark the election of a new city council, celebration is in the air: “Let a glad song of thanks sound,to please the Lord!” (Aria, BWV 69).
Following on from their successful album “Bach on Brass”, the ensemble now presents a joyful selection of works by Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries, notably Georg Philipp Telemann and George Frideric Handel, just in time for the run-up to Christmas.
From Bach’s Ratswechsel Cantata, by way of the aria “Bist du bei mir” from the “Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach” through to his famous Dorian Toccata and Fugue, this album includes works that express hope, consolation and courage. The arrangements are all showcase pieces for brass ensemble. Here are familiar works in a new, unexpected garb; they radiate a high degree of homogeneity and their sound is at once pleasing to the ear. German Brass’s performance validates the musicians’ reputation as brilliant exponents of the genre and marks them out as heralds of the happiest season of the year.
The ensemble has been contributing to the history of brass music in Germany for forty years now. With their virtuosity, their brilliant musicality and their special charm, the players have left an indelible mark on the culture of brass music. Their declared role model in sound is the voluminous and multi-hued sound of the organ: the instrument has inspired arrangers and members of German Brass to produce an inimitable sound that has placed this ensemble at the pinnacle of music-making for decades. The fact that German Brass has enjoyed success with this approach is reflected both in the many sold-out concert tours they undertake throughout all of Europe, and in their winning an ECHO Klassik Award in 2016 for “Bach on Brass”.
