Grafenau hunting horn players delight at the anniversary in Grossarl!

Grafenau hunting horn players delight at the anniversary in Grossarl!

The Grafenau hunting horn players demonstrated their skills in a festive setting in Salzburg, Austria. The reason for the performance was the 175th anniversary of the Grossarl traditional music band, an anniversary that attracted not only the Grafenau musicians, but also thousands of visitors and over 650 other musicians from the region. The brass group brought its own touch to the celebrations, which was made possible through the support of the Bavarian Hunting Association Grafenau e. V. was made possible. Hermann Perl, the leader of the hunting horn players, explained the origin of the contact with the Großarl music band.

The contact was made during the St. John's Festival in Röhrnbach, where the Grafenau wind players met the musicians from Großarl. There has been an official partnership between Röhrnbach and Großarl since 2023. As part of this celebration, the hunting horn players received an invitation to the anniversary weekend, which they accepted with great anticipation.

A festive appearance with challenges

The premiere of the piece “Alpera Fanfare” by Kaspar Fischbacher on the Saturday of the festival was particularly outstanding. However, not everything went according to plan: a misunderstanding about the timing of the performance led to unwanted competition with another band. Despite this challenge, the Grafenau brass band did not allow themselves to be deterred and continued their playing, which was met with great response from the spectators.

On Sunday, following the celebratory service, there was a parade through the picturesque streets of Grossarl, which underlined the brass band's connection to the region. Hermann Perl reported on the positive reception for hunting horn music throughout the entire event and thanked everyone involved for the warm welcome.

A long tradition of the brass group

The Jagdhornbläser Grafenau was founded in 1962, initiated by Karl Stippel, Norbert Schrüfer and Franz Zambelli. Their first appearance took place on the occasion of the Hegeschau in the Gasthaus Setzer in Grafenau. Over the years the group has had various leaders, with Lothar Ertl serving as the current horn master since 2016. The Grafenau brass band see themselves not only as musicians, but also as guardians of the traditions and customs of hunters.

The hunting horn blowers are continually committed to maintaining traditions, and the conversations before and after blowing often focus on hunting. They are also available to the Grafenau hunting community as an “intervention group”, thereby showing that their activity goes far beyond just making music.

Overall, the performance of the Jagdhornbläser Grafenau was an enriching experience that not only consolidated the group's musical tradition, but also further strengthened the friendly ties with the musicians from Großarl. The response to the event shows how important such cultural encounters are for the community.

Further information about the activities of the Jagdhornbläser Grafenau can be found on the website Grafenau hunters available. For more details about the appearance in Grossarl, see Passauer Neue Presse comprehensive reporting.