chambermusic for brass
The confrontation between different styles, like renaissance and avant garde, baroque and jazz, characterises the main concern of this ensemble. They also aim to successfully combine high artistic standards with unpretentious entertainment. It is based on the idea of an alternative concert form as developed by the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, from which bach, blech & blues emerged in 1989. The members of the ensemble, which has been independent since 1991, now have positions in renowned German symphony orchestras.
In line with their intention to give a new impetus to chamber music for brass instruments bach, blech & blues has commissioned and performed many pieces by young, successful composers and arrangers from the modern classical and jazz scenes. At the same time the twelve members of the ensemble are always trying to challenge their own limits by hiring internationally known specialists for particular projects. For example, Edward H. Tarr and Harry Ries directed the rehearsals of renaissance works using their knowledge of original performance practices; Lothar Zagrosek conducted a concert of modern pieces for brass and percussion; and the Dutch jazz musician Erik von Lier ran a jazz workshop with the ensemble. The long-running co-operation with Peter Gane, who directed the rehearsals for the first CD production, has also been a great influence on the ensemble.
Trips abroad for the Goethe Institute, the German Music Council and the German Foreign Office have enabled bach, blech & blues to tour in Cypress, South East Asia, Italy, Morocco, the United States and Indonesia. In Germany the ensemble has performed in the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Südwestfunk Baden-Baden, the Düsseldorfer Altstadtherbst, the Jahrhunderthalle Hoechst, the Aalto Theatre in Essen, and the Fabrik in Hamburg, as well as in the Schleswig-Holstein and Rheingau music festivals, and many more. Beside that, the ensemble performed several times for the most radio stations all over germany.
bach, blech & blues' musical development is documented on many recordings. After the first independent recording, which reflects the variety of their repertoire, a CD of pieces from the Italian Renaissance was released by ARTE NOVA and distributed by BMG-Classics. The production "Tryptichon: bach, blech & blues featuring Till Brönner and Adrian Mears" is being released by the label BERLIN CLASSICS where the emphasis is on jazz and the avant garde.