Virtuoso Sonatas & Canzonas c. 1600

Silver trumpets—once the pride of popes—sound surprisingly close in "Mediterranean Melodies." Juan González Martínez switches between several silver trumpets to reveal a rich palette of colors, while Lea Suter creates a resonant space on the organ and Italian harpsichord. Lively tempos, delicate ornamentation, warm timbre: easy on the ear, rich in detail. A Mediterranean journey through the first half of the 17th century – from stil antico to stylus fantasticus. With palpable joy in playing, the past becomes the present.

Joy of life expressed through dance – a passionate musical journey of discovery to the origins of the captivating dance known as the fandango.

Whether rich or poor, young or old, tall or short: almost everyone in the population knew the basic steps of this improvisational song and dance, which was performed in dance academies and theaters as well as on city streets, in pubs, dance halls, and the palaces of the upper class.
The fandango, Spain's national dance in the 18th century, usually accompanied by guitar and castanets – and now also by trombone! – was and is simply danced joie de vivre!

With festive music from the Renaissance and early Baroque periods, we take concertgoers on a journey back in time to the Siglo de Oro, Spain's golden age, when composers such as Antonio de Cabezón, Diego Ortiz, and Gaspar Sanz were celebrated throughout Europe.

A double stroke of luck: the Sauer organ in Bremen's Glocke concert hall has remained virtually unchanged since 1928, surviving all attempts to adapt the instrument to contemporary tastes and fashions. Even the tuning pitch of 435Hz has been preserved – which is actually too low for ensemble playing today. However, the Franz Kuhn Trombone Quartet, led by the energetic Juan González Martínez, can draw on an original set of trombones from the 1920s. With these instruments and together with organist Lea Suter, the four gentlemen authentically bring to life remarkable literature from the heyday of virtuoso trombone playing. A wonderful addition to the first recording of the organ on the previous album with worldwide first recordings (!) of Romantic music, which won a nomination for the German Record Critics' Award.

The Bremen Town Musicians on tour in Europe: Town pipers' music around 1600

Lively dances, lovely canzonas, and rousing recercadas, played by a historical ministriles ensemble, convey in this concert an impression of the tremendous joie de vivre and exhilarating joy of festivals and celebrations that radiates from the Spanish town pipers' music of the 16th and 17th centuries.

With festive music from the Renaissance and early Baroque periods, we take concertgoers on a journey back in time to the Siglo de Oro, Spain's golden age, when composers such as Antonio de Cabezón, Diego Ortiz, and Gaspar Sanz were celebrated throughout Europe.