Godard German

Idiosyncratic, large-scale and in its fundamental disposition one of a kind, Florian Weber’s Imaginary Cycle, conceived for the unique instrumentation of brass ensemble and piano, is a hybrid of multiple musical languages that seamlessly blends the harmonious with the oblique. Here Weber presents a cycle in four parts, plus an opening and an epilogue, in which the German pianist is joined by a group of four euphoniums, a trombone quartet as well as flautist Anna-Lena Schnabel and Michel Godard on the seldomly used “serpent” brass instrument, together performing a work that blurs the line where improvisation ends and composition begins.

Saxophone/vibraphone duos are few and far between in jazz, and without having done any in-depth research, I’d venture to say that while this one is not absolutely unprecedented – it was preceded by another duo by Franck Tortiller with baritone saxophonist François Corneloup – it remains a rarity.