“Smaragd” by Austrian band Federspiel won in two categories of the short list 1/2017 at the German Record Critics Award. “Smaragd” won in the Cross border and Traditional ethnic music categories.
The jury issued a statement through Heinz Zietsch about “Smaragd”: “Massive but none the less extremely agile, lively yet elegant – brass ensemble Federspiel, from the Austrian Wachau region, is exceptionally talented.
Alpine Folk Music arranged and played with great humor and a subtle irony, mixed with world music and old Austrian sounds to the beat of Landler and Waltz. Viennese zither and a music box season the sound of the wind instruments and a dash of synthesizer brings refreshing flavors to the table.
The septet radiates wild imagination, enthusiasm and delight in experimenting. Their humming, mumbling and whispering, yodeling and singing, up to the highest reaches of artistic creativity. And then all of it comes down like does a good wine: just like the “Smaragd”, the noble grape produced in the Wachau.”
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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.
