Binary Star Peter Steiner & Constanze Hochwartner

• Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949):
• 1Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra (Arr. for Trombone & Organ)01:41
• Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934):
• 2Holst: Mercury, the Winged Messenger (From the Planets, Op. 32) (Arr. For Trombone & Organ)02:47
• 3Holst: Mars, the Bringer of War (From The Planets, Op. 32) (Arr. For Trombone & Organ)03:32
• 4Holst: Venus, the Bringer of Peace (From The Planets, Op. 32) (Arr. For Trombone & Organ)02:33
• 5Holst: Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age (From the Planets, Op. 32) (Arr. For Trombone & Organ)03:31
• 6Holst: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (From The Planets, Op. 32) (Arr. For Trombone & Organ)03:44
• Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904):
• 7Dvořák: Largo (From Symphony No. 9, Op. 95 "From the New World") (Arr. for Trombone and Organ)06:14
• John Williams (b. 1932):
• 8Williams: Summon the Heroes (Arr. For Trombone & Organ)03:44
• Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911):
• 9Mahler: Urlicht (From Symphony No. 2) (Arr. for Trombone & Organ)05:25
• Andrew Lloyd Webber (b. 1948):
• 10Webber: The Phantom of the Opera (Arr. For Trombone & Organ)10:02
• Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981):
• 11Barber: Adagio (Arr. for Organ)08:26
• Total Runtime51:39

Info for Binary Star

With 'Binary Star', trombonist Peter Steiner and organist Constanze Hochwartner take you on a journey through the infinite expanses of the cosmos. The program of the album unites different composers and spans the musical arc from the late romantic Gustav Mahler to the film music composer John Williams.

After the Austrian trombonist presented his album 'Sapphire' with Constanze Hochwartner on piano in 2018, the two pull out bigger guns on 'Binary Star.' These allow them to simultaneously present a range of sounds appropriate to the album's theme and dust off the time-honored combination of wind instrument and organ. "This brilliant combination allows us to create a wide variety of timbres and to realize all the musical ideas we have in the best possible way," say Peter Steiner and Constanze Hochwartner. Their program leads once across the galaxy and consists of orchestral literature, which the two arranged and had arranged for their instruments themselves.

Like the launch of a rocket, the musical prelude is Strauss' 'Also sprach Zarathustra', probably the most famous and impressive introductory piece in music history. Gustav Holst's 'Planets' is given its own unique character and sound by the new arrangement and instrumentation. This is followed by excerpts of 'From the New World,' Dvorak's 9th Symphony, the energetic 'Summon the Heroes' by John Williams, Gustav Mahler's 'Urlicht' and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'The Phantom of the Opera.' The finale - almost as if disappearing into the infinity of space - is an arrangement of Samuel Barber's famous 'Adagio', originally for string orchestra, here for solo organ.

The realization of this album is associated with great enthusiasm for the duo. Steiner and Hochwartner are a well-rehearsed team, which is reflected in their musical interplay. "For three and a half years," says Peter Steiner, "Constanze and I have been looking forward to this project. And I'm thrilled with the outstanding skills of Emily Horton, who wrote the arrangements."

Peter Steiner, trombone
Constanze Hochwartner, organ

Peter Steiner
Italian trombonist Peter Steiner’s playing has been described as “beautifully controlled with a vocal sound” and he is recognized around the world as “a new trombone star within his generation”, “playing with total control”.

At the age of 23, Peter Steiner was appointed Trombonist of the Vienna State Opera and Vienna Philharmonic for the 2016-2017 season. Prior to that engagement he served as Principal Trombonist with the Colorado Symphony for the 2014-2015 season. He has performed as guest trombonist with the Munich Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden, New York Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

His 2018-2019 season involves extensive international travel and features over 100 performances, including a 3-month World Tour of the United States, Europe, Asia and South America with Constanze Hochwartner (piano/organ) as Duo Steiner-Hochwartner, as well as solo concerts with orchestras around the globe. Other highlights for this season include a 4-week tour in United States (February 2019), a CD release tour throughout Austria and Japan, and solo appearances at the Lille (France) Trombone Festival and International Trombone Festival (Indiana, USA).

Mr. Steiner has soloed with numerous ensembles around the world including the Orquestra Sinfõnica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro and he has had the privilege of performing the world premiers of Eric Ewazen’s Visions of Light (Chamber Orchestra Version) and Gilles Rocha’s Fly or Die with Brass Band accompaniment. He has been featured in solo recitals during the 2016 and 2017 International Trombone Festival and the 2018 Wartburg Festival (Eisenach, Germany). He can be heard on his debut album, UNITED, which was released in January 2017 under the HELLOSTAGE Label, in collaboration with Hsiao-Ling Lin (piano) and Silver Ainomäe (cello). His second album, Sapphire will be released in 2019 in collaboration with Constanze Hochwartner (piano).

Mr. Steiner began his studies at the Music Conservatory in his hometown of Bolzano, Italy before continuing his study at The Mozarteum of Salzburg (Austria). In 2016 he graduated from The Juilliard School in New York City with a Performance Diploma. His major teachers and influences include Joseph Alessi, Warren Deck, Nitzan Haroz, and Dany Bonvin.

This album contains no booklet.