Lars Bischof, a trumpet player in the German brass band Erpfenbrass, says he was pleasantly surprised at Bengaluru’s familiarity with the Oktoberfest and ecstatic at the crowd’s reaction to their performances at Shangri-La hotel, the botanical garden, a mall and a pub.
“Minutes after we started playing, the crowd gathered to watch us. People seemed to really sink into the performance,” said Lars, ahead of the band’s recent performance at Shangri-La hotel.
Lars says the band has different combinations to cater to the needs of various fests across the world, allowing them to play at several concerts simultaneously.
“Some of our band members also played at the main Oktoberfests in and around Munich. In Germany, we have a larger orchestra including instruments such as clarinets. Our sound mainly revolves around jazz and funk, apart from the polka music that is played at fests. It is possible to play all these genres because they are related. But our normal set is usually a jazz combo with a saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar and drum set.”
Lars is a working professional, unlike other members of the band, who are full-time musicians studying music.
“Being in a brass band is not new if you have grown up in the smaller villages. Each village has at least an amateur brass band. I started playing the trumpet when I was six. I just crossed 30 now, so I have got a lot of practise over the years.”
Lars compares playing the trumpet to playing a sport, because it depends on practise.
“How good you are depends on what kind of shape you are in. I would say a trumpet player must train for an hour every day. You need to stay in shape all the time.”
Erpfenbrass (which originates from a region near Munich) has been together for over nine years, with Lars being one of the older members.
“We began by playing for fun at birthday parties. As we kept playing, it came to a point when we decided to become professionals. It didn’t involve going on TV, winning a prize in a contest and signing a contract. We started small and over the past five years, have started doing big shows. We are featured on TV and radio in Germany.”
They have also begun to compose their music over the last two years, even working on some pop numbers, like their signature radio pop tune ‘Wirklich’ (meaning ‘really’).
“Our base is still rooted in polka, which is close to our hearts. We don’t need notes to play it because it’s part of our tradition.”
They have now performed in over 1,000 shows and workshops around the globe and were in India for the first time. The band was also nominated for the German Phonograph Award in 2015 and has received the Woodstock of Brass-Music award and the StraMu Competition Wurzburg award in 2013.
Erpfenbrass now plans to go on more international tours, beginning with Oktoberfests in other countries.
“We want to become the best brass band in the world. That’s our vision.”
