Brass instruments bring people together as once more proven during the annual Athens Brass Festival which took place for the second time in the Athens Megaron Music Hall under the artistic direction of the Melos Brass Quintet. The main characteristic of this year’s festival was the amalgamation of “classical”, jazz and folklore music with brass instruments serving as the common ground for the meeting of these genres. This musical mixture fit well within the limits of the “Bridges” cultural programme of the Athens Megaron.
Mnozil Brass, the renowned Austrian brass ensemble, gave the first performance on November 9th. The internationally acknowledged musical and performing talent of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ made its imposing appearance with a program under the general title La Crème de la Crème [Magic Moments].

On November 14th, the Dutch Concertgebouw Brass Quintet and Greek Melos Brass shared a concert.  On the first half, the groups played music originally for brass instruments by Dutch and Greek composers.  In the second part of the performance, both quintets combined forces presenting a programme spanning from Gabrieli to Warlock.

The evening of November 15th held three concerts. The first, titled‘Balkan Sound’ featured the meeting of two important folklore music ensembles: the Valkani Brothers Florina Band from Greece and the Boban & Marco Marcovic Band from Serbia. Listening to the two groups side by side allowed the listener to hear the what the Greek and Serbian folk music has in common, and to experience the many elements that make music uniquely Balkan. The combination of folkore melodies, ottoman, pop and Western elements, and gypsy music created a unique environment that brought the audience to its feet.

The sound of Athens’ Municipality Music Ensembles (AMME) followed that of Balkans with a concert featuring AMME Symphonic Orchestra and the AMME Wind Band. The orchestra accompanied the winners of the contest for young soloists, which was held within the limits of the 2009 Ionian Summer Music Academy (Corfu, Ionian University, Music Department): Simona Vaitkeviciute (flute), Traianos Papadopoulos (horn) and Giorgos Krimperis (trombone). Then internationally acclaimed trombone player Michel Becquet played the Launy Grondahl Trombone Concerto with the AMME wind band and joined forces with the trombonist of Melos, Spiros Faroungias, for Haendel’s Trio Sonata in g minor.

The evening culminated with the ‘romantic sound’ of the jazz trumpet-legend Bobby Shew accompanied by AMME big band. Shew’s charisma offered an appropriate ending to this feast of brass, which brought together different sounds, performers and audiences.
Organizers are looking forward to the 2010 Athens’ Brass Festival, despite recent financial turmoil.

Source: Dr. Kostantinos Kardamis, Ionian University, Department of Music

Melos Brass & Concertgebouw Brass Quintet