Konzertdirektion Hörtnagel Berlin

German Brass Wind/Brass Ensemble Benelux and various countries

Matthias Höfs, trumpet
Uwe Köller, trumpet
Christian Höcherl, trumpet
Manuel Mischel, trumpet
(Christoph Baerwind, trumpet)
Hanno Westphal, horn
Klaus Wallendorf, horn
Fritz Winter, trombone
Emil Haderer, trombone
Uwe Füssel, trombone
Constantin Hartwig, tuba
(Stefan Ambrosius, tuba)
Herbert Wachter, percussion

German Brass has written brass ensemble history in Germany for decades. With their virtuosity, brilliant musicality and their rare stage presence the eleven top soloists of leading German symphony orchestras have decisively influenced the brass culture. In 2016 German Brass hit the classical music charts with its album Bach on Brass and won the most important German music award, ECHO Klassik, in the category Ensemble |Orchestra.

In addition to their large number of concert appearances in Germany, German Brass is touring in Europe, China, South Korea and Japan to great acclaim.

With their huge repertoire from early to contemporary music and an exciting mixture of classical compositions, jazz and soundtracks, the ensemble crosses musical boundaries informally and switches between the different musical styles with amazing ease. The programmes of the ensemble include arrangements of classical works as well as transcriptions by trumpeter Matthias Höfs and trombonist Alexander Erbrich-Crawford which pay tribute to the unique sound of German Brass and which have long become hits of the brass repertoire.

The extensive discography include award-winning recordings such as Brass Hommage, Brass Heralds (Bach, Händel, Telemann), Rhapsody (Gershwin, Bernstein), Celebrating Wagner, Best of 40 Years German Brass, Fantastic Moments, Brass Christmas, Christmas around the World, Bach on Brass for Berlin Classics among others. Sony Classical has lately released the album It’s Christmas Time and Trip to America.

Founded in 1974 as Deutsches Blechbläserquintett, the ensemble extended their formation into eleven musicians in 1984. German Brass is playing chamber music at the highest level and at the same time, “the eleven brass players sound like a full orchestra - colorful, diverse and highly convincing.”
(Magazin Clarino)

Season 2023/24

News/Info

German Brass in Biel/Bienne

German Brass performs an Open Air concert in Biel, Switzerland on 4 September 2022 featuring the programme Classic & Around the World.

German Brass in Marnach

German Brass presents in Marnach Cube 521, Luxembourg on 24 Septemer the programme Around the World featuring music by J.S. Bach, John Baston, Bernstein, Verdi, Johann Strauss on among others.

German Brass: Beethoven on Brass

On occasion of the Beethoven year, Sony Classical is releasing two hits of the giant as single tracks online by German Brass on 18 December: Moonlight Sonata (1st movement) and Pathétique Sonata (2nd movement):

German Brass: trailer from "Trip to America" album

View Cole Porters "Too darn hot" of the latest album of German Brass:
<link https: www.youtube.com>

www.youtube.com/watch

Press

Firework at opening concert

Die Eröffnung des Swiss Chamber Music Festival geriet zu einem Feuerwerk an Brillanz und Wortwitz. Da war die musikalisch kaum zu überbietende Spielkunst der German Brass mit den wohl besten Blechbläsern aus Deutschland. […] Nach John Bastons Concerto Nr. 6 und J.S. Bachs Chorälen und der Toccata und Fuge d-Moll begann eine unterhaltsame Folge von Medleys bekannter Musikstücke Around the World. Dies war ein Fest höchstklassiger Spielfreude mit einer bestechenden Moderation des Hornisten Klaus Wallendorf.

Berner Oberländer, Martin Natterer, 13.09.2021
Trip to America: CD of the week

The new album Trip to America is “CD of the week” at rbb Kultur: the renowned brass ensemble German Brass has managed an "entertaining music tour through North America, sound technically brilliant at the highest level. The long-standing brass ensemble knows what expectations its audience has got and fulfilled these with this new album once again.”

rbb Kulturradio, Judith Kochendörfer, 18.10.2019
Top class German Brass fascinates audience

The brilliant performance was topped by the interpretations of Bach's famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue: in Bach the "original" organ sound was perfectly illusioned and the delicate polyphonic balance became transparent. The version of the Rhapsody with its typical Gershwin sound and all its dynamic and technical finesses almost let forget its origin. [...] The second part of the concert marked a musical ramble "around the world" featuring a potpourri of Porgy and Bess and Spanish and French music. Huge plaudits with three brilliant and jazzy encores which led into standing ovations.

Neues Volksblatt Linz, Paul Stepanek, 21.09.2019
CD: Brass Hommage

Whether harmonies, rhythmic sophistication or playing with unorthodox timbres: this album is a concentrated demonstration of the brass universe and all the compositional possibilities that open up here. The new double album demonstrates that even after dozens of CD productions, worldwide appearances worldwide and various awards this "national team" plays at a top level.

BR-Klassik, Matthias Keller, 20.06.2018
CD: Brass Hommage

Brass Hommage is een eerbetoon aan de onnavolgbare klank die German Brass beroemd heeft gemaakt. Het erkent het succes van een audio-visie: een kamermuziekensemble met tien koperblazers, een groep met het geluidspotentieel van een machtig orgel, een symfonieorkest of een bigband - een sonore visie die de Duitse koperblazers hebben bereikt met de muzikale elegantie die hun eigen is.[…] De speciale arrangementen van German Brass hebben hen tot uitvinders van een verfijnd klankidioom gemaakt dat hun handelsmerk zou worden. [...] Warm aanbevolen.

Stretto Belgium, Michel Dutrieue, 05.08.2018
CD: Brass Heralds

The musicians of German Brass also create on their latest album a balance between brilliant sounds and an almost intimate and filigree density of setting (…) The semiquavers, which are flowing through the individual instrumental groups are as precise and perfect despite of the tempo as if they came from just one single instrument only.

<link http: www.klassik.com>www.klassik.com, Moritz Vollmer, 20.12.2017
CD: Brass Heralds

German Brass presents itself in a Bach-Händel-Telemann programme in the great freestyle. The ten virtuoso brass players are masters in the musical presentation and give the festive programme a particularly glamorous character.

Pizzicato Luxembourg, Remy Franck, 19.11.2017
CD: Brass Heralds

Many can play loud. But the intimate density of setting as for example in the transcription of Bach's Siciliano has only to offer an ensemble such as German Brass (…)The new album masters the ambition that classical music connoisseurs should not miss the original for a single moment despite its transcription - with bravura and an evident ease.

BR Klassik, Matthias Keller, 19.10.2017
CD: Celebrating Wagner

Astonishing, even incredible things can be found here: The trumpets are deceptively similar to the endless trill figure of the woodwinds in the Valkyrie ride or the whirring of the strings in the Spinnerlied from the Flying Dutchman - such virtuoso numbers were unthinkable even for Wagner.

Berliner Zeitung 18.05.2013
CD: Celebrating Wagner

In exciting arrangements by Matthias Höfs, which are both familiar and somehow different, the ten brass instruments create a pure goosebump feeling. And at the very latest when listening to the second piece, the "pilgrim's choir" from the third act of Tannhäuser, you have to lie everything aside and get completely absorbed in the music. Our recommendation: definitely to listen!

Clarino, May 2013