As of: March 1, 2024, 8:15 a.m
By: Katrin Hager
Comments
Press
Split
Enthusiastic amateur musicians: The Otterfinger brass band has been around for 25 years.
Robert Schüßlbauer (right) has been holding the baton for 17 years.
© private
To mark its 25th anniversary, the Otterfinger brass band is presenting its third CD “Friends of Brass Music”.
The musicians are celebrating the premiere and their anniversary with a concert on Saturday.
Otterfing
– The Otterfinger brass music was once a dream.
Namely that of Robert Schaal: He had a vivid dream that he was marching behind the Otterfinger Blasmusi at the Gaufest.
Shortly afterwards, he laid the foundation for the dream to become reality: for his big birthday, he collected donations to found a brass band.
The foundation was laid - and there were also music-loving colleagues, including the thoroughbred musician Bertl Bauer.
In 1999, a Blasmusik Otterfing support association was actually founded - today's music association.
The following year, in 2000, Schaal was able to see that he actually marched behind his Otterfinger band at the Gaufest.
He died in 2003.
Since then, his dream has developed splendidly.
Bertl Bauer, who died in 2018 - known from the Oktoberfest and as a composer - founded the band on a sound basis.
Today she not only marches at the Gaufest and ensures the good tone in Otterfinger village life, she is even represented every year at the Oidn Wiesn.
Also this year – on October 2nd from 6 p.m. in the museum tent, reveals music master Robert Schüßlbauer.
The Trachtenheim became a recording studio
The 48-year-old has been leading the Otterfinger brass band for 17 years.
And under his aegis the band is now releasing its third CD.
Since their 15th anniversary, the 30 musicians have recorded an album every five years, most recently in 2019. “We have the privilege of having a strong music club behind us,” says Schüßlbauer.
Recording a CD like this not only involves a lot of work, but also financial outlay, which can only be managed thanks to the support of the club.
But the effort is worth it, says Schüßlbauer.
Not only because listeners can take the music home with them, but also because the musicians themselves get a lot out of the recordings.
“You have to play much more precisely than on stage at a folk festival,” explains the conductor. “It's very disciplined and you can improve your musical performance.
And you grow even more together.”
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the band has returned to the recording studio - or rather, it has repurposed the Trachtenheim, where regular rehearsals take place, with professional help.
“You can use the Trachtenheim for anything,” says Schüßlbauer with a smile and thanks the Devil’s Graves for their hospitality.
The title piece comes from founding conductor Bertl Bauer
Sound engineer Lukas Bruckmeyer came with his mobile recording studio, the Trachtenheim was lined with Molton fabric panels against the reverb, and the entire sound technology was set up.
The musicians recorded there for a weekend at the end of November.
13 pieces, a colorful cross-section of the Bavarian-Bohemian repertoire of the brass band, marches, polkas, waltzes, classics like the “Gablonzer Pearls” or “Late Love”, but also newly composed songs like Bruckmeyer’s “Lebenskraft”.
And the title piece: “Friends of Brass Music” written by founding conductor Bertl Bauer.
On Wednesday, just in time for the anniversary concert, 500 copies of the album arrived at Schüßlbauer fresh from the pressing plant.
At tomorrow's performance, the band will present the pieces from the CD live, as well as a cross-section of the best from 25 years, the music master announces.
Not the last prank in the anniversary year: Blasmuik opens on July 2nd from 7 p.m., when the Bundeswehr Mountain Music Corps is a guest at the Open Air in Otterfing.
And a few weeks later she marched at the Gaufest on July 28th in Schliersee - as founder Robert Schaal once dreamed.
The best of 25 years in concert
The Otterfing brass music concert begins on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 8 p.m. in the Otterfinger Hof (doors open at 7 p.m.).
Tickets are available in advance at the Schaal-Weiller kiosk and the Raiffeisenbank in Otterfing or at the box office.
Admission costs ten euros and is free for children and young people up to 14 years old.
The CD “Friends of Brass Music” will also be available to purchase for the first time at the concert.
From Monday, March 4th, the album will be available for 15 euros at the Schaal-Weiler kiosk, the Raiffeisenbank in Otterfing, in the town hall or directly from the brass band (www.blas musik-otterfing.de).