Cristina Braga & Brandenburger Symphoniker – Whisper (Enja Records, 2016)
Brazilian samba and bossa nova appear in a conventional format, bringing together harp, a samba jazz quintet and a symphony orchestra in a captivating intercontinental collaboration.
At the forefront is harp player and vocalist Cristina Braga. She’s a virtuoso harpist with a soft and seductive singing style, where she nearly whispers accompanied by her harp. The result is truly mesmerizing.
Whisper contains a mix of laid back dreamy bossa nova pieces along with a couple of lively songs where there is plenty of room for the jazz quintet and orchestra.
On some songs Cristina sings duets with special guest Dado Vila-Lobos on vocals and guitar. Although most of the songs are in Portuguese, Braga shifts to English on two track.
This concert was recorded at the Great Hall of the Brandenburger Theatre in Germany. Cristina Braga was joined by the Modern Samba Quintet and the Brandenburger Symphoniker Orchestra.
Lineup on Whisper:
Cristina Braga on vocals and harp.
Modern Samba Quintet featuring Jesse Sadoc on trumpet; Arthur Dutra on vibraphone; Ricardo Medeiros on bass; Claudio Wilner on percussion; Mauro Martins on drums; and Marcelo Costa on additional percussion.
Brandenburger Symphoniker conducted by Tobias Volkman:
Andreas Preisser on violin; Chidori Sokooshi on violin; Klaus Hoyer on violin; Till Handrick on violin; Olivia Kucharska on violin; Katja Kulesza on violin; Uwe Kinderick on violin; Ralf Wittman on violin; Giulia Bellingeri on violin; Izabela Powichrowska on violin; Matthias Erbe on violin; Franca Rudolph on violin; Ralf Damming on violin; Ruth Gerner on violin; Friederike Dietz on violin; Meike Schirling on violin; Auret Botoi on violin.
Nikolai Nikolov on viola; Markeljan Kocibeli on viola; Geraldo Brandigi on viola; Demna Gigova on viola; Andreas Posch on viola.
Robert Friedrich on cello; Ute Doring on cello; Joachim Kohler on cello; Stefan Immel on cello.
Fabio Caggese on bass; Josif Schmuschkowitsch on bass; Rudiger Dierks on bass.
Susanne Pietrowski on flute; Martin Bosse-Platiere on flute.
Anje Thierbach on oboe; Benjamin Kahleyss on oboe.
Rico Wolff on clarinet; Marco Dommus on clarinet.
Sebastian Pietsch on bassoon; Rainer Walenta on bassoon.
Richard Mosthaf on horn; Henrik Moderegger on horn.
Frank Tietze on trumpet; Andreas Weitzer on trumpet; Martin Sander on trumpet.
Burkhard Gotze on trombone and Sören Fries on trombone.
Special guest: Dado Villa-Lobos on vocals and guitar.
Whisper is an album with immediate appeal, featuring tranquil and ear friendly Brazilian tropical music.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
