Artists

Creativity, spontaneity and fun are the prime ingredients of the compositions, arrangements and performance of the Austrian brass and woodwind ensemble FEDERSPIEL.

In 2004 seven young musicians, all students of the university for music and performing arts Vienna/conservatoire Vienna became the ensemble FEDERSPIEL.

Folk music from Austria, its neighboring countries and beyond is the basis of their live performance and recorded works. Compositions of the musicians themselves are the core of their repertoire. By producing great melodies and improvisation alongside great musicianship FEDERSPIEL have their own unique sound – always with a shot of humor and never taking themselves too seriously , though without a doubt the music speaks for itself ... simply great!

In July 2022, FEDERSPIEL released their seventh album and program "Albedo".

At the moment the band is working on their 20th band anniversary program and live-album "20 years of FEDERSPIEL". The official release and presentation will take place at Wiener Konzerthaus in autumn 2024.

Programs: "Albedo" | "Von der langsamen Zeit" - Christmas program | "Best of" | "Creating symphonic worlds" - Federspiel & Symphonieorchester | "Federspielchen" - Kids program (3-10) | Workshops

SUCCESS

Concerts - Austria > Wiener Musikverein (solo and with orchestra), Konzerthaus Wien, Opening of "Wiener Festwochen", Woodstock der Blasmusik, Brucknerhaus Linz, Grafenegg Sommerkonzertreihe (Support for Mnozil Brass), Treibhaus Innsbruck
Belgium > Dranouter Culturcentrum, Belsele, Gooikoorts Festival
Canada > Sherbrooke, Toronto, Ottawa
Czech Republic > Folk Holidays
Germany > TFF Rudolstadt, Prinzregententheater München, Philharmonie Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (April 2019), Internationales Donaufest Ulm and many many more
Hungary > Valley of Arts Festival, Palace of Arts Budapest
Italy > Suoni delle Dolomiti, EXPO Milano, Runkelsteiner Klangfeste
Poland > Gardens of Sounds Festival (summer 2016)
Scandinavia > Forde Festival (NOR), Kaustinen Festival (FIN), G- Festival (FAROE Islands)
Switzerland > Alpentöne, Davos Festival & Kongresszentrum, Boswiler Sommer, Theatercasino Zug, KKL Luzern etc.
UK > WOMAD (July 2018)
WOMEX Showcase in 2015 

Media Profile - BBC radio 3 recorded the complete FEDERSPIEL showcase concert at WOMEX 2015 and broadcast 20 mins plus interview to finish their two hour special WOMEX edition on “World on 3” (October 2015), Latest TV-appearance on Austrian SERVUS TV “Pixners BACKstage” (October 2015), WDR/ Live radio broadcast of their appearance at TFF Rudolstadt (Germany), Ö1/ORF Klassiktreffpunkt 2014, Multiple appearances on Austrian and Bavarian TV and radio (ORF, BR, Servus TV before)

Awards

• German Record Critics Award - Winner of listed albums 1/2017 in the categories "Grenzgänge" and "Traditionelle ethnische Musik"
• Album "Smaragd" CD OF THE MONTH December 2016 - BR Klassik U21
• Winner of the EISENER EVERSTEINER 2016 - only Folk Music Award in Germany ("Folkherbst Plauen")
• Winner of the AUSTRIAN WORLD MUSIC AWARD 2015 | audience AWARD 2011
  
• Winner of the FREIBURGER LEITER 2015 / Kulturbörse Freiburg/D - Award for the best music performance voted by the audience
• PASTICCIO ALBUM AWARD august 2012 by radio Ö1/ORF and daily newspaper DER STANDARD
• Award of the German album reviewers - Nominated in listed albums 4/2012 in the category "folk"
• Participants of THE NEW AUSTRIAN SOUND OF MUSIC, a support program by the Austrian Ministries of Culture and of Foreign Affairs, whereby the selected musicians, who are presenting the variety of what is Austrian culture abroad, get tour support.

REVIEWS

So much inspiration, humor, sensitivity and free flowing energy you rarely find on stage, especially with brass bands. (...) It’s tender, touching, full of power, playful and sad, everything you could imagine!!! It electrifies you and is there anything better than to forget everything around you and just be in the moment! World class!!!
(World famous trumpet soloist Reinhold Friedrich, 2015)

Thank you for a wonderful evening with goosebumps, tears in your eyes, a grin on your face, the desire to dance along... Thank you for that!

(Audience reaction to the performance at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg in April 2019)

An interplay between ecstasy and attack, between tradition and revolution, between seriousness and irony.
(Valerio Benz, Radio SRF 2/CH, „Musik der Welt“, 13.3.2015)

Whether a band captivates and inspires, you can find out by the audience‘s movements at the side. And nobody moved! Every single person listened with fascination. There was this feeling as if the surrounding houses of Sebalder Platz were transforming into mountains! Wonderful!
(Rainer Pirzkall, Artistic Director, Bardentreffen Festival, Nuremberg, 2015)

About their second album "unerhört BUMM": 

Oh god … folk music! And as if that wasn't enough … alpine folk music!!!  On top of that nothing but brass!!!Youth today, doesn’t have a problem with their own traditions but rather with tradition! (…)
Federspiel approaches tradition and this problem of tradition from all sides - geographically and stylistically. In the context of the differing cultures of France, the Balkans and Latin America, with Mariachi, Kolo and other pieces that can't be easily located – in this seemingly global context - we find our native (Austrian) music challenged and stimulated. All is possible, it fits, and even more, it fizzes with diversity. It’s the solid sound of the brass instruments that seems to put it all into a perfect context.
Essential for this to happen is musical mastery, of course. In the past, say, 20 years there has been a whole new generation of musicians who played downright technically terrifyingly well and whose art isn't only expressed in virtuous over-the-top arrangements. Amongst them is Federspiel. (…)

(Albert Hosp, radio DJ & journalist Ö1/ORF Austrian National Broadcasting Organisation and festival curator of Glatt & Verkehrt)

(…) Played with great passion and much enjoyment playing old traditional forms and used to completely leave behind stylistic borders. For “Federspiel” there are no dogmatic bottlenecks and no creative fear of the new. Mariachi, Mazurka, military marches, Csárdás, Volksweise folk dance melding with intriguing brass arrangements and sounds, that will still shine bright  in twenty, thirty years, just as it does  today. (…) Seldom if ever brass-music came across so elegantly, easygoing and tolerant as on this CD. Master class.
(Klaus Halama, sound & image, CD review of the album”unerhört  BUMM!”)
The new album of Federspiel is a must-have for brass-music lovers, these excellent musicians have combined traditional with modern and classic elements to a remarkable sound.
(Adolf “gorhand” Gropius, CD review of the album “unerhört BUMM!”)