The “brass band” discipline is a virus that only reached Upper Austria relatively late, but over the past 20 years has caused many to get the passion for brass music to glow at the highest level. Brass Band is more than just playing a brass instrument, it’s a way of life.
On Saturday, the Upper Austrian Brass Band celebrated its 20th anniversary with a brilliant gala concert in the Brucknerhaus. This formation goes back to England in the middle of the 19th century with the spirit that has been upheld over the years: the miners experienced balance with this music-making and were incited not only to have a commercial advantage over the competing company, but also to beat it musically in annual competitions surpass This stopped the workers from going on strike.
The musical tradition lives on and is particularly popular in England, neighboring Europe and countries such as South Africa – with championships often of Olympic proportions.
In Upper Austria, Hannes Buchegger began spreading this passion for virtuoso brass music in 1987. Along with Thomas Beiganz, he is one of the founders of the Brass Band OÖ. This was followed by victories in the B section and then – as a brass band developing country – the greatest success so far with third place at the “European Championship” 2010.
On Saturday, on the one hand, the program for the national competition taking place in a week was presented, on the other hand, a best of the past 20 years with fine soloists. Felix Geroldinger (baritone), who really got going with “Pulse” by Thomas Doss, Lito Fontana danced salsa with great virtuosity with his trombone (“Latin for Brass” by Joe Laube), and Thomas Gansch continued with Leonard Ballantine’s “Don ‘t doubt him now” on the cornet brilliantly ready to fly over. In addition, the many soloists from the ranks of the Brass Band OÖ and Jack Marsina, who carried a touch of Frank Sinatra into the final. At the beginning of the second part, a number of musicians from the past joined them and formed a brass band XXL, which, under Buchegger’s direction, brought the hall to a boil with their red-hot metal.
The first part was under the heated leadership of the current conductor Günther Reisegger and Ian Porterhouse, who recently led the brass band successfully. Outstanding was the gripping, stirring world premiere of the play “Phoenix” by Markus Ridderbusch.
Source: Nachrichten
