Freaking out in earnest: interview with Carlos Beneto Grau of the Spanish Brass quintet

“Rock band from the wind” or a serious circus? The Spanish Brass wind quintet from Barcelona performed at the international music festival in Yaroslavl. Spanish macho virtuosos first appeared in Russia, and they simply charmed the Yaroslavl audience.

Mixing styles is traditional for this festival, whose art Director, Yuri Bashmet, is a big fan of jazz, fusion and any interesting crossover. And just wind compositions are usually responsible for the crossover, since they often play both” normal ” classics, and works of modern composers, and jazz.Spanish Brass is also like that. Their program includes everything from Stravinsky’s arrangements to the iconic hard BOP tune “Sidewinder” by Lee Morgan. Continue reading →