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The cameraman directs them to walk in a tight group.
But this won't happen in a conventional way.
Thank you and hello dear viewers at home
The guys are funny...
Hello -Hello
I'm running late -You're running late?
Wonderful. I'll wear my hair down for the show today.
It's not easy to keep up with people on tour.
During one of their rare breaks we found them.
There, where it all began.
Opera, Hofburg, Kärntner Street.
The 1st district is the best address in town.
Nearby, an almost tourist free area
with traditional pubs, cafés, galleries and shops.
Our first meeting is at the University for Music.
At the coffee machine.
This is not the original coffee machine where we met.
That one was smaller, dark brown and very ugly.
It had a photo on it of the main square in Venice.
Apart from coffee it had warm orange juice, and soup.
Awful, that was the worse thing you could get.
The coffee from the machine was not to be missed.
That was the spot where the students all met.
We had a lot of discussions, and a lot of fun.
Who was at the centre of the group at the beginning?
Willi, Wastl and myself.
I played an opera with Wastl.
"König Blaubart" I think it was called.
At the last show Wastl wrote down a folk tune,
which we then played.
That was a moment that gave birth to the idea.
We'd seen each other around the place and said,
Why don't we play something at the end of the show
during the long, final curtain call.
We always sat down there in the orchestra pit
waiting five curtain calls before we could get up.
We didn't like that too much.
I handed a tune out to the brass and percussion.
We tried it out once during the interval.
At the third curtain call, we started to play.
The string section even joined in.
That experience started the whole thing.
Mnozil began for me with a millenium celebration.
An experience I shared with Thomas Gansch.
One thousand years of Austria- unbelievable!
And Thomas and I were there.
We played Mahler's 2nd Symphony.
Although we sat on opposite sides,
separated by many other brass players,
We knew that we would do more together.
At the end of the last century,
near the tourist area, there was a pub.
It was a paradise for ambitious musicians.
Traditional and contemporary ideas met.
In 1997, while filming on location,
one group was very popular with the audience.
Their name: Mnozil Brass.
Luckily, we had a few spare metres of film...
The band's name originates from the Slavic
surname of the former owner of the pub.
Tell me about the situation, the atmosphere
that prevailed at the beginning of Mnozil.
Joseph Mnozil had a pub in the 1st District.
It was a nice, typical Viennese pub.
It had just one room and excellent food.
The schnitzel with potatoes was legendary.
It was always crowded - full of regulars
There was never enough space.
People strained to see who was playing.
Then Joseph had the idea to build a ladder
We could climb up over the bar.
5 or 6 people could fit up there.
We played up there, safe from the crowd.
That was 15 years ago.
Those were the truly great Mnozil nights.
Herr and Frau Mnozil are now in retirement.
They remember how the band got it's name.
They'd been together for awhile when asked,
"Who are you? Where do you come from?"
They replied, "We come from Vienna" .
"And what are you called?" .
"We met at Mnozil's...we are Mnozil Brass" .
And that's how it began.
Naturally, from then on,
the boys were privileged guests.
They were more or less like our children. Yes, we were very proud of them
We always gave them plenty to eat, they were penniless students.
Back then it was all a bit harder, not everyone had a scholarship.
They did get some money, but... We were able to help them a bit.
We'd say, "Oh there's one of our children. Make sure he gets a big serving of food" .
Mnozil Brass have always been easy going. Various musicians would just join in.
For weddings and other special occasions, they'd form a group on short notice.
Then with just 20 numbers they would entertain for an entire evening.
They played anything and everything...
In the first few years it was very casual
just some fun, a contrast to the drier routine of university.
We had no idea it would become our main job.
That was the basis of our music, we always played what we wanted to,
whatever was fun, it didn't matter what.
We played folk music, jazz, mainstream hits.
And that is how Mnozil Brass came to be.
11 am. We have a date with the only true Viennese member of Mnozil Brass.
Traditional pubs are like an oasis They are a strange hobby of mine.
Not every "Wirtshaus" is the same.
Here comes the Master of Ceremonies He's bringing me my coffee -thank you.
He shares something in common with all the other Mnozil members.
As kids, they all played in brass bands. An important stepping stone.
I studied the trombone and shortly after began playing with a brass band.
We played the usual mixture of stuff. Marches, Abba Gold, Best of Neil Diamond...
At home we only had brass music. Mum listened to 50's music while ironing.
So that is all I knew until I heard Queen for the first time. Bohemian Rhapsody, wow!
Then I started listening to jazz and found that I like all kinds of music, no taboos.
When I was about 6 y/o I found a trumpet at home.
Luckily for me, my father is a trumpet player. I thank him for my entire musical career.
He encouraged me and my brothers to work on our music.
The emphasis was on music, not just on the instrument.
I grew up with brass music. My father played brass music too.
I joined the local band when I was 12. We played the usual polkas, walzes, marches.
That was how I grew up with folk music
We are connected not only by the same musical repertoire but also culturally.
We have the same roots, the same background. I think that connects us very strongly.
I've played brass music since my childhood.
Starting with my father's local group in my home town when I was 10 y/o,
then onto music school and finally doing what I do now with Mnozil Brass.
For us, "brass music" is a broad term.
The focus is no longer on alpine music but it appears occasionally as a parody.
And just coincidentally, they have discovered they can sing.
One week in summer is always kept free.
Mnozil Brass are a regular guest of the annual Xong Festival in South Tirol.
Musicians from all walks of life come to play in public halls, outdoors and
'til the early hours in the pubs.
They can choose to attend lectures, go hiking or learn to paint.
Here Mnozil conduct a popular workshop, attended by musicians of all ages.
During the boat ride on Lake Reschen,
it becomes clear that these music lessons will not be of a conventional style.
Mnozil Brass has a message: Don't just play the notes you've studied and practiced,
but play musically, from the heart.
We feel that the music schools take things too seriously, they are too strict.
That's not fun for young musicians.
Of course, you still have to play properly.
The way we play in the band is exactly the same as what we are trying to teach.
Take an idea, a song, and just try it out. The participants like this style of playing.
Without sheet music, they can start to discover other ways of playing.
Mals is the main location for the festival and a link to the neighbouring regions.
The lessons begin late morning.
Early hours are not suitable for brass players... at least not for those from Mnozil Brass.
While playing, you need to be aware of exactly where you are in the piece.
Here, the melody is ending, but the song is nowhere near at it's end.
You must know where it's going.
If you are unsure, or don't know the piece, the audience will hear it immediately.
Then it sounds dull, boring.
Let's try it together once...
The interest in teaching is not shared equally amongst all the band members.
It's just seems to be in me. I am always trying to pass things on.
Whether it's good or bad, that's up to others to decide.
But it is important to me.
Some of the people who come to us have been playing the same way for many years.
They come and begin to spread their wings.
When they start to fly, it's wonderful.
But it is hard work, it only looks easy!
Improvise.
Improvise, improvise.
Anything!
"There are no wrong notes". Things are a different here than back home.
One needs to be able to play properly. Once you can hit the notes clearly,
then a workshop like this is a big help because it deals more with the idea of
the music rather than just the notes. That's what I liked about it.
With just a few bars, they display a
musical diversity that others would need an entire evening for.
They play a dizzying mix of anything from Ländler to Stravinsky.
At which point were you no longer satisfied to get on stage just to play music?
For the first few years, we'd get together five minutes before the show to decide
which pieces we were going to play.
We never rehearsed, it was all very relaxed. We'd just get up there and go for it.
Things kept getting better, we were all playing very well.
But when seven people play well all at the same time, it gets lost.
That's a pity.
We thought, let's organize it better.
A few years ago, they would have thought it was a joke that they'd one day have
choreography for their performances.
That fits in well with the second part. It's a good number for the end.
For their new show, they are working with a director.
... or we do the first number like "Such Sweet Thunder".
Can you do it again from "Hoden". You are all doing it differently.
Move over there a bit.
It would be good if you could do that all at the same time.
He is an actor, and also a friend.
And if it doesn't work, they discuss it that next evening over some wine.
These rehearsals are one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had.
It's a rare thing. I can give them an idea, even a crazy or bad idea,
and they just try it out.
They can play anything. lf I say, play a mixture of Mozart, Wagner and
"My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean", there won't be any discussions, they just do it.
Within a matter of minutes we can see if the idea works or not. Keep it or throw it.
There is no time wasted with ideological discussions. They can just play everything.
Our first show together was great.
It's good for us to have someone in charge. Someone who says, "No. It's like this".
It wasn't possible to do that amongst ourselves without arguments.
You two have to take small steps backwards. Try to remember that please.
While we were filming, two of the original band members decided to leave.
That can happen even to the tightest team.
No time for stillstand. The new band members have been integrated at top speed.
Rehearsals were held in a relaxed atmosphere.
Nasswald, an hours drive from Vienna in the mountain region of Rax.
There, two brothers have renovated the old Wirtshaus of Nasswald.
They regularly organize concerts. They love music and have a long standing
friendship to Mnozil Brass. When the band needs a quiet place to rehearse, they are
always welcome. In return, the band plays at the annual wood cutter's ball.
Tonight they will delight the audience with pieces from their earlier programs
for example the popular Tuba Muckl, originally a virtuoso piece for clarinet.
A polka is the prelude to a long night, by which the band prove they can play
ten hours straight without repeating a single number.
In future they'll be living increasingly out of a suitcase. Plane, taxi, hotel.
Rehearsal, sound check, performance.
They were a huge success at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
There are plans for a Japanese and an Australian tour.
We started in '95 with five concerts. In '96 we had ten concerts.
It just grew slowly.
People liked what we did so much, the demand just kept increasing.
Now we play about 130 concerts a year.
We spend about 160 days per year together, including rehearsals.
We are a family and that is essential.
To keep seven very different people together, tolerance is a requirement.
Tolerance towards different opinions, musical or otherwise.
In the international music scene everybody wants to get a piece of the pie.
Agents, concert managers media people. But this doesn't worry the band.
Very decisive for us was that in the first 5 years we were able to work completely
free of any economical pressure, or the demands of concert managers and such.
We had the chance to develop our own style. Primarily we just played for ourselves.
It was nice that people liked our music, but we didn't really care.
We just wanted to have fun. It wasn't a group that was formed to make money
or because someone had to earn a living with it.
By the time we started the concert circuit, we had a good structure within the group.
Mnozil Brass is almost therapeutic.
Whenever we start playing after having had a break of a few weeks,
I realise that I have really missed it.
They are constantly trying something new, not allowing any standstill.
Let's see what Josef Mnozil's boys come up with next...
There are many opportunities ahead of us. Musically, everything is possible.
I am sure we will continue to develop we don't place any restrictions on ourselves.
The only hindrance would be if we simply didn't want to continue.
Ok? That's it, we're done.
Translation Barbra J. Noh