The exceptional saxophonist Lutz Koppetsch embarks on a musical journey with a suitcase full of beloved classical works influenced by folk music. “La piccola banda” accompanies his mellow sounding saxophone, and together they come up with exotic instrumental combinations that conjure up a kaleidoscope of traditional settings and colours. So off we go — far away.
Lutz Koppetsch, saxophone
La piccola banda
Regine Schmitt, violine
Dorothea Galler, Viola
Maria Friedrich, cello
Bruno Suys, double bass
Claudia Buder, accordion
Antonia Hentze, harp
Johannes Brahms:
Ungarischer Tanz No. 5*
Ungarischer Tanz No. 4*
Isaac Albéniz: Asturias*
Arcangelo Corelli: La folia*
Manuel de Falla: Asturiana
Anonymus / Hanke: Klezmer Traditionals Suite
Reinhold Glière: Seemannstanz*
Ryo Noda: Improvisation III
Frank Zabel: Celtic Fantasy
Astor Piazzolla: Libertango*
Samuel Castriota: Mi noche triste*
* Arr. Stefan Johannes Hanke
»»» Detailed informations, texts, photos, etc. inside CD (booklet)
English booklet enclosed (36 pages) / German booklet enclosed
Total recording time: 57:24 | Format: 1 Audio-CD
Recording: 11/2011 – Großer Saal der Hochschule für Musik Würzburg, Germany
(p) & (c) SPEKTRAL 2012 | Series SPEKTRAL CLASSICS
Order No.: SRL4-12097 | GTIN (EAN): 4260130380977
Lutz Koppetsch grew up in Krefeld surrounded by music. His mother played classical guitar and piano. Taking note of the fact that her son loved to sing and whistled constantly, she supported his inclinations and tried to find a suitable instrument for him. The boy was finally sent to the temperamental Hungarian clarinetist and teacher Laszo Dömötör. Although young Lutz initially began with clarinet lessons, he switched to saxophone at the age of nine, and this became his main instrument from that time on. As a teenager, Lutz played in local rock, punk and big bands but never abandoned the classical side. He spent his early years attending clubs and alternative rock concerts, rebelling against his conservative educational environment?—?which included his high school teachers with their traditionally humanistic focus. This was in stark contrast to the unstinting enthusiasm with which he pursued his studies in classical music, especially that of ensemble playing. Koppetsch won the top prize in the Jugend Musiziert competition with his saxophone quartet Saxemble on four occasions. As musical representatives of Germany, the four young saxophonists have travelled to Japan, Central America, North Africa and the United States. The outstanding level of their playing has aroused much enthusiasm, as have their uncompromising interpretations and youthful energy. In Germany, they have been the frequent recipients of scholarships and grants and have played in most of the important music festivals. They have also made radio and CD recordings.
It was in his final year of high school that Koppetsch began to pursue more musical activities independently of the quartet. He attended masterclasses by recognized pedagogues such as Claude Delangle, Johannes Ernst and Arno Bornkamp, and it was with Bornkamp that he began post-secondary work at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He went on to pursue advanced studies at the conservatories of Paris and Versailles and competed successfully in the German Music Competition in Berlin and the International ARD Competition in Munich. In 2002, at the age of 26, Koppetsch took over the saxophone class at the Würzburg University of Music and was appointed professor there in 2008. Along with his teaching duties, Lutz Koppetsch concertizes regularly and has appeared with groups such as Ensemble Modern, the WDR Symphony Orchestra, and the Essen Philharmonic. He is also active as a chamber music has worked with with pianist Markus Bellheim, the Signum String Quartet, and the wind quintet Ensemble DIX. He has also has appeared as soloist with the Cologne Gürzenich Orchestra and the Würzburg Philharmonic.
Koppetsch was a member of the Alliage Quintet from 2004 to 2009, and their concerts were enthusiastically received throughout Germany as well as in many other European countries. They received the 2005 ECHO Klassik award for their CD Una voce poco fa on the MDG label, and were well-received at the 2006 ZDF ECHO Klassik gala concert. In 2008 they recorded another CD, entitled Masquerade, for Sony BMG. In 2010 came a further ECHO Klassik award for the CD Flying Saxophone Circus, this time with Koppetsch as a member of the saxophone ensemble Selmer Saxharmonic. Lutz Koppetsch is an active proponent of contemporary music, and regular collaborators include pianist Alexander Schimpf and violinist Regine Schmitt. He is also part of Trio Comet, which is exclusively devoted to playing new works that have been written especially for the ensemble.
Further information: www.lutzkoppetsch.de
Lutz Koppetsch is also striking out on new and exotic paths with his group “La piccola banda”. At first glance, the group’s makeup may seem a little out-of-the-ordinary but its very flexibility makes possible both chamber-like refinement as well as fuller orchestral effects. It also allows the saxophone, with its supple and soloistic capabilities, to demonstrate the fullest possible range of colour and character. When Adolphe Sax first invented the saxophone in 1840, he had intended it as an orchestral instrument. “Lutz Koppetsch & La piccola banda” not only realize the original intentions of Sax himself but also embrace a newer and less explored chamber side of the instrument.
The instrumentalists of “La piccola banda” are drawn in part from the ranks of top German orchestras. Others work as successful chamber musicians, or teach music at the university level. A few of the members are active in all three capacities.
Stefan Johannes Hanke was born in Regensburg in 1984. From 2004 to 2009, he studied composition with Heinz Winbeck in Würzburg and Manfred Trojahn in Düsseldorf. Since 2006, Hanke has been busy writing commissioned works for various organizations such as the German Music Council, the Heidelberger Frühling, the ADEvantgarde Festival, young.euro.classics, and the Mainfrankentheater of Würzburg. For the 2011/12 season, he composed the children’s opera “Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren” in response to a commission from the Hannover State Opera. It was well-received by pubic and press alike. As the recipient of a grant from the Free State of Bavaria, Hanke has spent six months in Paris, the “Cité des Arts”. In 2013/14 he will be on scholarship at the German Academy Villa Massimo in Rome. His music is regularly performed in Germany and abroad. Stefan Johannes Hanke currently resides and works in Düsseldorf.
