Mnozil Brass
Encyclopedia
Mnozil Brass is an Austrian brass septet
, founded in 1992.
College of Music, who met while playing at the Mnozil pub in Vienna's first inner city district.
Music is presented in a typical Austrian humour style, which can be approximately characterized as "jet black" and "here and there" absurd. Elements of slapstick
exist next to virtuosic brass playing. Notably Austrian and German schlager
songs of the 20th century are often caricatured. Former member Sebastian Fuchsberger was a great talent in imitating, for example, Johannes Heesters
and Udo Jürgens
. Mnozil Brass is able to convince the audience that playing music is not just serious business. Mnozil plays classical and jazz music using traditional brass instruments and more unusual instruments such as the keyed trumpet
and Wagner tuba
.
The septet cooperates with freelance director Bernd Jeschek who developed the stage programs "Smoke", "Ragazzi" and "Seven" and the "first operetta of the 21st century" titled "Das Trojanische Boot" ("The Trojan Boat"), whose world premiere was in 2005 during the German art festival RuhrTriennale
.
The group has toured internationally and won praise from artists such as Barry Tuckwell
, Chuck Findley, Jeff Nelson and Wycliffe Gordon
.
being a key example), and even play the recorder
.
Genres include Austrian Drinking & Folk Songs, Jazz, Pop, Classical Rearrangements and Schlager.
Septet
A septet is a formation containing exactly seven members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, but can be applied to any situation where seven similar or related objects are considered a single unit, such as a seven-line stanza of poetry....
, founded in 1992.
History
All founding members were graduates of the renowned ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
College of Music, who met while playing at the Mnozil pub in Vienna's first inner city district.
Music is presented in a typical Austrian humour style, which can be approximately characterized as "jet black" and "here and there" absurd. Elements of slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
exist next to virtuosic brass playing. Notably Austrian and German schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
songs of the 20th century are often caricatured. Former member Sebastian Fuchsberger was a great talent in imitating, for example, Johannes Heesters
Johannes Heesters
Johan Marius Nicolaas "Johannes" Heesters is a Dutch actor, singer and entertainer with a -year career, almost exclusively in the German-speaking world. In Germany and Austria, Heesters is mainly known for his acting career...
and Udo Jürgens
Udo Jürgens
Udo Jürgens is an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spans over fifty years...
. Mnozil Brass is able to convince the audience that playing music is not just serious business. Mnozil plays classical and jazz music using traditional brass instruments and more unusual instruments such as the keyed trumpet
Keyed trumpet
The keyed trumpet is a brass instrument that, contrary to the traditional valved trumpet, uses keys. The keyed trumpet is rarely seen in modern performances, but was relatively common up until the introduction of the valved trumpet in the early nineteenth century...
and Wagner tuba
Wagner tuba
The Wagner tuba is a comparatively rare brass instrument that combines elements of both the French horn and the tuba. Also referred to as the "Bayreuth Tuba", it was originally created for Richard Wagner's operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. Since then, other composers have written for it, most...
.
The septet cooperates with freelance director Bernd Jeschek who developed the stage programs "Smoke", "Ragazzi" and "Seven" and the "first operetta of the 21st century" titled "Das Trojanische Boot" ("The Trojan Boat"), whose world premiere was in 2005 during the German art festival RuhrTriennale
Ruhrtriennale
The Ruhrtriennale is an annual music and arts festival in the northwestern area of Germany which runs between mid-August and mid-October. It was founded in 2002 by the government of North Rhine-Westphalia with Gerard Mortier, the impresario and former artistic director of the Salzburg Festival, as...
.
The group has toured internationally and won praise from artists such as Barry Tuckwell
Barry Tuckwell
Barry Emmanuel Tuckwell AC, OBE , is an Australian horn player who has spent most of his professional life in the United Kingdom and the United States.- Early life and education :...
, Chuck Findley, Jeff Nelson and Wycliffe Gordon
Wycliffe Gordon
Wycliffe Gordon is a jazz trombonist. He also plays didgeridoo, trumpet, tuba, piano and sings.In 1995, he re-orchestrated the theme song for NPR's All Things Considered...
.
Members
- Thomas GanschThomas GanschThomas Gansch is a well-known, Vienna-based Austrian trumpet player.In 1992 the brass septet Mnozil Brass was founded in which he has since played first trumpet....
(trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
) - Robert Rother (trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
) - Roman Rindberger (trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
) (since 2004) - Leonhard Paul (tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
& bass trumpetBass trumpetThe bass trumpet is a type of low trumpet which was first developed during the 1820s in Germany. It is usually pitched in 8' C or 9' B today, but is sometimes built in E and is treated as a transposing instrument sounding either an octave, a sixth or a ninth lower than written, depending on the...
) - Gerhard Füßl (tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
) - Zoltan Kiss (tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
) (since 2005) - Wilfried Brandstötter (tubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
)
Former members
- Wolfgang Sohm (trumpet) until 2004
- Sebastian FuchsbergerSebastian FuchsbergerSebastian Fuchsberger is an Austrian musician. He's a trombonist, tenor and yodeller, and a founding member of the Austrian jazz-folk band Global Kryner....
(trombone) until 2004 - Ed Partyka (trombone) until 2005
Repertoire from Seven Show (available on DVD)
Mnozil has a wide range of repertoire - their two hour long concerts feature the group playing all manners of music along with comedic antics. While the majority of items feature the band playing their brass instruments they are also known to sing (Bohemian RhapsodyBohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
being a key example), and even play the recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
.
Genres include Austrian Drinking & Folk Songs, Jazz, Pop, Classical Rearrangements and Schlager.