Touchdown

Classical musicians have power - not only in the orchestra pit. Even when they doff their concert attire they still want to have fun, or simply do something different. When Arnim Kosensky asked, Do you want to play in a big band? everyone answered, You bet! Arrangements were quickly made for the first rehearsals and concerts. And the fun is still there: the first CD is long overdue! To make sure that their vivacity comes across on CD, they all decided in favor of a live recording. The passion is not entirely new, for the deeper they delved into the matter, the more they became aware of the major big band tradition in the Chemnitz region. We need only think of Horst Fischer, Fips Fleischer, or the Karl Walter Orchestra, which was banned in the former state of East Germany. Word has it that former colleagues in the Philharmonic occasionally got together for big band concerts in the 1980s. The Robert Schumann Philharmonic Big Band draws on this tradition when it plays Mozart arias or Carmen excerpts in a completely new sound. The veteran crossover artist Tiina Penttinen and the composer and bandleader Rolf von Nordenskjöld add a dash of color and the finishing touches.