Bundeswehr Music Corps

2007, 2010

Bundeswehr Music Corps was established in Rheinbach near Bonn on 16 February 1957. Designed as a representational band of the Bundeswehr it consists of 84 soldiers including two officers – in accordance with the duties of the band. The command was assigned to Captain Friedrich Deisenroth.

In November 1957 the orchestra took over assignments within the scope of the protocolary service of honor for the first time. Together with the Ceremonial Guards Battalion of the Federal Ministry of Defense the band accomplished its primary duty countless of times at all levels of protocol, ranging from the official reception of guests of state to the so called “small protocol” including drums and pipes.

Two years later a concert, which received a great deal of attention, constituted the start of the still traditional concerts of the Military Band in Bonn, the long-time capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. The audience was thrilled, whereas the press particularly praised the technical perfection and artistic performance of the musicians. In 1959 the orchestra, in the mean renamed “Bundeswehr Music Corps”, was relocated to its new garrison town in Bonn/Siegburg, its home still today and a town where the band is generally extremely appreciated and acknowledged. Memorable in the history of the Band as well as of the history of town was, for example, the “Grand Tattoo” which was performed in 1964 on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the founding of Siegburg and was attended by 10 000 thrilled spectators.

The Concert band is a popular orchestra in Germany itself as well as during its numerous assignments abroad, enabling it to demonstrate its high quality time and again. A good example here for is the participation in a great music show in 1972 in the heart of Paris, the Place Vendome, with a spectacular, at that time completely unusual encounter with Russian military musicians. The journey to the United States on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the declaration of independence is worth mentioning as well.
 
During its stay in the USA the band gave concerts staging its program “500 years of German military music” in front of large audiences in El Paso (Texas), Fort Riley, Fort Leavenworth and Wichita Falls (Kansas). In addition, it participated in the grand anniversary parades in Washington, Philadelphia and New York. Another special highlight was the concert tour of the Military Band to Japan in 1988 on the occasion of the International Military Music Festival in Tokyo and Osaka. The musicians elated the Japanese audience with their show in the sold out “Tokyo Dome”. The German folk songs and marches did not only prompt the audience to thundering applause but also led the listeners to accompany the music by extensively clapping their hands, a habit quite unusual in Japan.

The politically and historically outstanding event of the reunification of the two longtime separated German states took the Military Band to Eastern Berlin in 1990 for the first time, where it performed within the scope of the festivities in a representative manner. Already one year later the band extended its concert activities all over the - finally united - country. A first series of concerts in former East Germany took the orchestra to the Harz Mountains, to Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Brandenburg. Highlight of the tour was a radio concert in the large broadcast hall of the broadcast station “Freies Berlin”.

Alongside with the new formulations of its aims, namely to act as a representative concert orchestra at a supreme artistic level in Germany and abroad, the priorities within the various assignments of the orchestra have changed. At the same time it was given its current name “Bundeswehr Music Corps”. Outstanding gala concerts, including shows within the scope of the MidEurope 2002 in Austria, the International Conference of the World Association for Sinfonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) in Sweden in 2003, the World Band Festival In Lucerne (Switzerland) in 2004 and an important concert in Kiev, Ukraine while the German Culture Weeks decisively contributed to establish the meanwhile representative concert orchestra of the military music service of the Bundeswehr in professional civilian circles as well as in the army.

“Bundeswehr Music Corps” has experienced 50 years of successful activities in the field of military music. Used to accomplish the most various musical tasks of all kinds, ranging from the glamorous official reception, honoring of Federal Presidents and Chancellors to other grand protocolary services, staging grand concerts as well as small chamber music events, the military band has performed at countless events and thus permanently attracts attention at a supreme level.

In addition to protocolary appearances the band has given numerous concerts of all kind at most various occasions, for many different public institutions and establishments, demonstrating the broad sphere of activities of the orchestra. The musicians take pride in the fact that during 50 years of concert activities their music has not only given pleasure to thousands of people but that it has yielded more than 7 million Euro for various charitable purposes as well.

Lieutenant Colonel Walter Ratzek

Lieutenant Colonel Walter Ratzek has been conductor and commander of the “Bundeswehr Music Corps” since 2001. Between 1980 and 1985 he studied at the Robert-Schumann-Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf. The Lieutenant Colonel was student of Prof. Wolfgang Trommer and became director of music and conductor. In addition he attended José Luis Prado’s piano class. 

After finishing his studies he became the 2nd music officer of the “Gebirgsmusikkorps 8” (mountain music corps) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, deputy chief of the “Musikkorps der Bundeswehr”, leader of the chamber orchestra and head of the “Heeresmusikkorps 2” in Kassel, and conductor of the “Ausbildungsmusikkorps der Bundeswehr” (military training band).

Lieutenant Colonel Walter Ratzek is well known in a number of countries as a conductor and pianist, as well as a leader of workshops and some apprenticeship measures. Recordings with many different symphonic bands show his ideal of musical sound, which is based on pure intonation, brilliant rhythm and balance, alongside with artistic interpretation. Ratzek is also president of the German Section of WASBE (World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles).




Direction of the Festival

Festival's page on the Official site of the Guild of Purveyors to the Kremlin

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