22nd International Brass Festival - BLECHSCHADEN (Germany)

On stage for over 35 years, every member of the ensemble is a proven top musician. It would be easy to label Blechschaden as "tried and tested and never equalled". But that's only one side of the brass medal; the other, for which they are loved by their loyal fan base, is their tireless commitment to bringing out the fun side of music and, in doing so, making a mockery of any attempt to differentiate between light and serious music. The world-famous "fun faction" of the Munich Philharmonic shows with every one of its performances that any kind of music, whether pop or opera, musical or classical symphony, can be a pleasure if it is presented in the right, unconventional way. In the new programme for their 2023 tour, the philharmonic "Foreign "foreign legionnaires" mix the various musical genres into a highly entertaining entertaining cocktail of melodies, garnished with hilarious moderations and interludes. In particular, their Scottish director Bob Ross generously reaches into the humour box in a very un-Scottish way. Whether "classical music, but with humour" ("Nessun dorma" from Puccini's opera "Turandot"), musical hits "in brass" ("I Don't Know To Love Him" from Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar") or a suddenly orchestral pop anthem ("Earth, Wind and Blechschaden Fire"): For all the serious professionalism with which the musicians master their instruments, Blechschaden always prioritises one thing: giving the audience fun with and around the music. Is that possible in Bavaria without Bavarian music? Of course not! So something hearty like the "Steingadener Musikantenmarsch" is a must. The Münchner Merkur newspaper aptly described the extraordinary ability of the ensemble around its founder Bob Ross to combine musical perfection with the highest art of entertainment as follows: "Blechschaden means the perfect elimination of all boundaries between serious and popular music" and the Neue Westfälische Zeitung summarised a Blechschaden concert in the golden words: "We are the Champions" sounds symphonically compact through the room They really are, and the encores from "Rocky" to a crisp Irish round dance are also top class - no wonder they have already won the 'Echo-Klassik' award twice."