Jazz at Bran Castle

The Foundation Jazz Festivals & Events in collaboration with Compania de Administrare a Domeniului Bran are hosting the fifth edition of the festival Jazz at Bran Castle, scheduled from August 25th to August 27th, 2017, set, like the previous editions, in the inner courtyard of Bran Castle and in Râșnov Evangelical Church.

This year’s edition of the festival will start, on August 25 th, with a concert performed by four big names of septentrional jazz: Svante Henryson – cello, Jon Balke -piano, Anders Jormin- double bass and Audun Kleive – drums and percussion. The project to be presented came through due to Nordic musicians’ wish to explore, interact and communicate the boundless area of sounds. The second band of same day’s line-up, is for sure, a peak of European jazz: Tarkovsky Quartet! The reputable Anja Lechner and François Couturier will depart in their tarkovskyian journey together with saxophonist Jean-Marc Larché and accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier. The album to be performed in Bran Castle is Nuit Blanche (ECM, 2017), the fourth album dedicated to Andrei Tarkovsky’s works and personality.

The second day of the festival will bring to the public, an original band with original instruments-Michel Godard Quartet. The public will see and listen several instruments, matching Bran Castle perfectly: serpent and theorbo, plus church organ and harpsicord, said instruments will offer us an unforgettable musical experience. While the medieval echoes will fade away other exceptional artists will join the stage of the festival: Adam Bałdych – the outstanding Polish violinist and Helge Lien, the Norwegian pianist and his band: Frode Berg, Per Oddvar Johansen and Tore Brunborg. They will present “New Project” – their latest recording, a project which is targeted to enlighten each band member. A balance between classical music (e.g. mainly in piano and violin solos), traditional jazz and avant-garde music is bridging an arc between two different cultures, attesting again that jazz is not so sensitive to space and time. Saturday evening will end with another memorable recital: Richard Galliano New Musette Quartet, with Richard Galliano- accordion, Jean-Christophe Galliano- drums, Jean-Marie Ecay – guitar and Yaron Stavi – bass.

On Sunday, 27 th of August, last day of the festival, the stage will host three bands. Vadim Neselovskyi and Arkady Shilkloper – an Ukrainian pianist performing with Gary Burton, professor at Berklee College of Music, and a Russian multi-instrumentalist and composer, known as one of the best jazz performer on French horn and alphorn in the world. They will build a musical bridge over borders and conflicts, reminding us that there is a common spiritual house of music still available. Other three close friends of Bran Festival will follow: Arild Andersen- double bass, Daniele di Bonaventura- bandoneon and the relentless drummer and percussionist Paolo Vinaccia, as an original band. Same evening will be completed by a quintet whose melodic tunes will join us all night until down: Mathias Eick Quintet with lyrical album “Midwest” (ECM, 2015). The tunes of this album will enlighten each soloist, united by the trumpet, with its inconfundable sound : melancholic, solemn, full of hope and optimism.

In the baroque ambiance of the Evangelical Church of Râșnov, Michel Godard Quartet and Mathias Eick Trio will make new the sounds of profane music in the sacred interior of the church.

The most visited touristic venue of Romania, Bran Castle, will become again the Amphitryon of the international jazz.

The concerts shall take place from Friday to Sunday, in the already known rhythm of three sets per evening, at 7 PM, hosted in the inner courtyard of Bran Castle and Saturday, at 12:00PM, respectively Sunday, at 1:30PM, in Râșnov Evangelical Church.