Rail Bands in Concert

United in Music and History – Concert of the Railway Workers For the first time, two railway bands will perform together in the joint "Rail Bands in Concert." The Bundesbahn Music Band Innsbruck and the Eisenbahner Music Association Salzburg will present a unique program on September 28 at 6:00 PM in the historic Passion Playhouse in Erl. Both bands boast more than a century of history. They share not only the same sponsor but also the founding year of 1920—and a deep love of music. Despite a turbulent history, both railway bands continue to enjoy great popularity among their musicians and audiences alike. On September 28, the audience can look forward to a special program that will take them on a musical journey through the history of both bands. Set in the traditional Passion Playhouse in Erl, the concert will begin with fanfares by Satoshi Yagisawa and John Williams. Naturally, the program will also feature railway-themed pieces like Eduard Strauss' fast polka "Bahn frei" and Jakob Gruchmann's "Zug um Zug," a commissioned work for the Eisenbahner Music Association Salzburg. The bands will also take the audience on a musical journey around the world with Otto M. Schwarz's "In 80 Days Around the World." A special highlight of the concert, organized at the initiative of the Bundesbahn Music Band Innsbruck, will be the playing of the grand organ in the festival hall for Modest Mussorgsky's "The Great Gate of Kiev." On this musical journey, the two railway bands will also encounter Hänsel and Gretel in the overture of the same name by Engelbert Humperdinck, arranged by Andreas Schorer, before making a stop in distant lands to perform Hirotaka Izumi's "Omens of Love," arranged by Toshio Mashima. The sounds of a bagpipe group, which will appear both during and at the end of the performance, might come as a surprise, showcasing the broad repertoire of the two railway bands. Conductors Michael Hölbling and Andrzej Kucharski, along with a combined ensemble of around 100 musicians, will enchant the audience at the unprecedented "Rail Bands in Concert" on September 28 at 6:00 PM in the Passion Playhouse in Erl. Tickets are available through Ö-Ticket. Program subject to change.