Each album is an unique adventure with music that meets us with different people - inspiring, impressive, giving us light. Exactly one year after the premiere of the first album in the "Christmas Brass and Vocal Jazz" project, it's time for a new album and a new premiere again on November 26 2022 with “Christmas Brass: Through the Winter Darkness”. We continue our journey with the most beautiful medieval carols of the North, gradually creating our winter musical world and its little traditions, the first of which is that our premieres in the digital world are always on November 26. In fact, remember this date or mark it in your calendar, because our artistic director Kristina Dencheva and the arrangers in the project are already creating the musical winter wonders that will sound in 2023 and 2024. Тhe special brand of "Christmas Brass and Vocal Jazz" is clear - these are the five trombones. The collaborations with our guest musicians are a mystery that we will reveal every year ... on November 26.
The album “Christmas Brass: Through the Winter Darkness” is available on the music platforms. It is in the increasingly popular EP (Extended Play Record) digital format. The 2022 pieces in it are entirely instrumental. They are dedicated to the fearsome beauty of Winter, its dark, melancholy side in the long nights of the North and the uncompromising power of the snowstorm. And in this natural picture, through the gusts of the wind, you will catch the bright sound of brass instruments from afar with the melodies of Christmas carols, because even in the strongest blizzard, sleep and darkness, the holiday of Christmas comes.
The musical paintings in our new album "Christmas Brass: Through the Winter Darkness" are 3. They are inspired both by a favourite movie (Star Trek Into Darkness) and childhood memories of the sound of the wind and snowflakes on the glass on winter nights when it is warmest at home, and it's safest with grandparents. The role of the snowstorm in two of these musical pictures is entrusted to the wonderful musicians of the Underground Cello Quartet. They are our special guest musicians 2022 - an amazing and inspiring collaboration we would like to continue. We are grateful to them for the accepted invitation and the professional enthusiasm (or perhaps enthusiastic professionalism) with which they joined our Christmas project. With their elegant and highly expressive presence, Atanas Krastev, Viktor Traykov, Teodora Atanassova and Nauma Najman transform the gloomy beauty of Winter into the radiating power of music arranged by Daniel Nikolov and Prof. Hristo Yotsov. And the sound of the four cellos, ah, that sound. Hear for yourself the magic it creates!
The musical paintings in "Christmas Brass: Through the Winter Darkness" 2022 are:
✨O Kerstnacht, schoner dan de dagen - a traditional Dutch Christmas carol from the 18th century arranged by Daniel Nikolov for 4 cellos and solo trombone. We are glad that Danny - the main arranger on our first album in 2021 - continues to lead the Dutch line in our project with such inspiration.
✨"Nativity" by Dobri Hristov you will hear in the special arrangement by Hristo Yotsov for 4 cellos and solo trumpet. Prof. Yotsov throws a kind of bridge in time between the first and second album in our project, because this song arranged by Konstantin Beykov for 5 voices and solo trombone brought us back home from our trip to the North in 2021.
In 2022, you will hear a completely different play with an expressive, dark color, in which Winter rules over the world, and over the silent snowfields in the falling darkness from afar the sound of a trumpet can be heard, glorifying the coming light holiday in the magnificent interpretation of the Underground Cello Quartet and Peter Makedonski.
✨Dejlig Er Den Himmel Blå is the third piece in the album "Christmas Brass: Through the Winter Darkness" 2022. The traditional Danish Christmas carol from the 18th century, dedicated to the beauty of the winter starry sky, is arranged by Emil-George Atanassov. He recreates this natural picture of Christmas Eve with the brilliance of brass instruments - 5 trombones, two trumpets and a flugelhorn. Because the miracle of Christmas is getting closer...
And let's mention one more of the small traditions in our project: in "Christmas Brass: Through the Winter Darknesst" 2022, exactly 10 musicians will participate again: trombonists Prof. Atanas Karafezliev, Emil-George Atanassov, Kaloyan Gorchev, Kiril Mikhaylov and Dimitar Stoev, cellists Atanas Krastev, Victor Traykov, Teodora Atanassova and Nauma Najman and Peter Makedonski - trumpet and flugelhorn.
Join us on our journey North to the haunting beauty of Winter and the charm of the ancient Christmas traditions of the Netherlands and Denmark. And always come home! Listen to Christmas Brass: Through the Winter Darkness album on music platforms. If Spotify is your favorite platform, we are HERE! With our best wishes to all of you for wonderful upcoming holidays, filled with Light, health and prosperity!
🎄❄️🎄⛄️🎄✨🎄 ❄️🎄⛄️🎄✨🎄
About the project:
Our “Christmas Brass and Vocal Jazz” stories take listeners on a winter journey to the European North through traditional old carols from the 16th to 19th centuries in attractive new arrangements for 5 trombones and surprising musical collaborations. This atypical trombone quintet is the trademark of the project, which always features exactly 10 performers. Our goal is the promotion of contemporary Bulgarian arrangers and performers of brass instruments in classical, early and popular music in the countries of Northern Europe, where there are established audiences for brass musicians, a cappella pop and jazz and contemporary fusion interpretations. Therefore, the presence of our project in the digital platforms, the possibilities of which we are still realizing, is of key importance.
The first album of old Christmas music in our arrangements and performances with Spectrum Vocal Band appeared on music platforms on 26.11.2021.
See the information about the start of our project and its educational charity purpose HERE.
What is to come next .. you will find out on November 26, 2023!
🎄❄️🎄⛄️🎄✨🎄 ❄️🎄⛄️🎄✨🎄 Translation in English: Tsvetelina V. Georgieva
21 April, 2024
22 February, 2024