Brass Chuckles
Austrian band packs a big punch with music, comedy
DAVID STONE | TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM
Do you like your jazz served up with a side dish of comedy? You’re in luck — Mnozil is coming to town.
Mnozil Brass is an Austrian septet that plays classical and jazz using traditional brass instruments and some unusual horns such as the rotary-valved and bass trumpets.
The ensemble will be live at the Cultural Activities Center on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults, $5 for kids and free for active-duty military and their dependents.
“The show is very entertaining and the audience should expect a lot of fun,” said Wilfried Brandstötter, a tuba player for Mnozil. “We always love touring the US, and it will be great visiting Texas where temperatures are definitely higher than in Austria at the moment.”
The band met and formed at a Vienna tavern called Joseph Mnozil’s Pub.
“We all played there just for fun at a monthly jam session,” Brandstötter said. “We enjoyed playing together, but we had no plans of making a living as a band. We just played for fun. It’s still fun, that’s why we keep doing it.”
“Eventually we became a band and started playing weddings, funerals and on the streets,” he said. “It just grew from there, and we started playing concerts in Vienna and around Austria.”
“That was back in 1993. So far, we have played more than 2,500 concerts all over the globe,” Brandstötter said. “We’ve played in more than 35 countries on every continent except Antarctica.”
“Over the years, we have created our own individual style of performance — a mixture of playing, singing and acting with a lot of humor. Most programs are totally nonverbal, but we created an opera for the Salzburg Festival a couple of years ago where we did all the singing, the orchestra parts, the dancing and the acting.”
So what does Mnozil have in store for CAC patrons?
“You are in luck,” Brandstötter said. “In Temple we want to perform our show Gold, which is a mixture of music including classical and jazz, mixed with some of our own compositions. Many of the tunes will be well known by the Temple audience.”
While Mnozil has been on a lengthy swing through Germany, the band heads to the US on Wednesday.
“Mnozil Brass is truly one of the funniest and most creative chamber groups on the planet,” Brandstötter said. “We cleverly incorporate song, dance and mime with the artistry of brass instruments.”
What’s up, Central Texas?
Talking to this Austrian tuba player was one of the highlights of my week. After interviews about missing children and overcoming drug addiction, this was a welcome change. I hope you have enjoyed my offerings this week. Get ready — I have a lot of irons in the fire. Topics such as homelessness, lake fun, the state of faith and an Arcadia update are all around the corner, plus a visit with Louie Minor, the Bell County commissioner who wants to say goodbye to the controversial Confederate statue. Stay tuned! I want to express my appreciation to the many readers who have used the “tip jar” button to help support community journalism. Thank you. If you value my journalism, please show your support:
