German Brass

German Brass comprises a sizable ensemble whose members typically craft their own adaptations of music spanning many genres and eras. Through nearly fifty years of activity, the group has endured shifting tastes regarding brass ensembles and their appeal.

Trumpeter Enrique Crespo established the ensemble in 1974, though he eventually departed following internal disputes. Its original designation was the Deutsches Blechbläserquintett -- Solobläser deutscher Spitzenorchester, rendered in English as the German Brass Quintet -- Soloists from Top German Orchestras. The invitation to participate in the Bach 300 recordings marking J.S. Bach’s tercentenary prompted an expansion in 1985 to the current roster of ten players plus one alternate, a step Crespo deemed essential for properly realizing the repertoire. Under the earlier quintet name, the musicians issued the album German Brass in 1986, after which they adopted the present English title that continues to appear in German promotional materials and on their official site. Membership continues to be drawn from Germany’s leading orchestras and from teaching staffs at the country’s music conservatories.

The group’s programs extend from Renaissance works through twentieth-century pieces, frequently closing with an eclectic mix of lighter fare that includes jazz, bossa nova, and selections from Broadway shows. Long regarded among Germany’s foremost touring attractions, the musicians intersperse performances with lighthearted remarks delivered from the stage.

Internationally, German Brass has gained widest recognition through its extensive recorded output, which surpassed thirty albums by 2019. While many of those releases appeared on Berlin Classics, the ensemble moved to Sony Classical in the late 2010s. Its first project for the new label, Trip to America, arrived in 2019 and spotlighted works by Gershwin, Bernstein, Barber, Copland, and Cole Porter. Sony Classical followed this in 2022 with the double holiday collection It’s Christmas Time.