Brass I combines the basic brass instruments as solo instruments and in corresponding ensembles (3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 4 French horns). The four soloists are masters of their trade. Trumpet player Freddy Staudigl, hornist Marcus Schmidinger, and trombone player Johann Schodl all are foundation members of the renowned ensemble “Brassissimo” and are not only active with their quintet but also as soloists and orchestral musicians on an international level. In addition to his virtuosic command of the tuba, Christoph Kiene is also internationally known as a lecturer.

Apart from Vienna’s basic articulations and Performance Elements this Vienna Instruments Collection also provides fast Interval Performances in legato and marcato styles, Performance Trills, arpeggios (major, minor, and diminished in legato and staccato) and mordents. Trumpet and trombone – as solo instruments as well as in the ensembles – offer the complete playing techniques including all their muted variants. Among the specialties are the trumpet ensemble’s “out of tune” sustains, as they happen now and then in real orchestral situations. The three trumpet players don’t hit the note exactly at the beginning – a beat frequency ensues which is corrected as the tone progresses, eventually resulting in a clean homophony. The trumpets also feature “rips & falls”. And the trombone ensembles, too, offer a specialty; clusters of three notes with half tone intervals are available in staccato (two variations), sustained, crescendo and diminuendo (in two tone lengths), sforzato, and even as Repetition Performances.