Interview: Pianissimo

Maximilian Blaschke May 8, 2022 9:06:50 PM

On a world tour with the event band "Pianissimo

Reading time: 5 minutes

The band Pianissimo tells us in the following interview about the origin of their name, the dynamics of corporate events and why style breaks belong to weddings.

Is there a story behind your name? Does the name Pianissimo rather come from "piano music" - does it have something to do with "quiet"?

Our name comes from the idea that we wanted to use a musical technical term in any case, but which at the same time sticks in the ear. Considerations with "Fortissimo", however, we ultimately discarded again, because this term seemed too aggressive to us. "Pianissimo" was then the perfect term for us as a counter design, as it stands for discreet music in which our guests are the center of attention. Later, of course, we turn up the volume, because whoever can play "pianissimo" can also play "fortissimo".

A very nice story. You perform in very versatile lineups. Are they always the same musicians or do you draw on a pool of musicians?

With different band sizes, we cater to the individual needs of the organizers. For smaller company parties or small to medium-sized weddings, the space for the band is often limited, but the desire for live music is great. Due to the designed samples, i.e. recorded instrumental parts like bass or drums, it is possible for us to create a great live sound even in a duo or trio. Regarding the instrumentation, it is always the same musicians we work with. A uniform program ensures that we are prepared for all or many eventualities. Depending on the line-up, each individual musician brings his or her individual strengths to the band. One of our guitarist's strengths, besides excellent vocals, is e.g. Latin American music by e.g. Carlos Santana. Our saxophonist is not only at home in soul, but often performs in clubs with a house DJ. Another advantage is that even in case of a short-term cancellation (e.g. due to illness) an excellent replacement musician is available. That is why we have never had to cancel an order so far.

That's great, of course! Please describe the repertoire, concept of Pianissimo, in which genre the band feels most comfortable?

From the beginning, our goal was not to limit ourselves to one or a few musical styles. The musicians of the band had previously gained experience at large pop/rock festivals as well as (as they say in Bavaria) town and folk festivals. But also gala performances, weddings, company parties and specific performances in jazz clubs or bossa evenings were part of it. Since we continue to play at a wide variety of events, it is important for us to respond individually to the audience. The foundation of our selection of titles are current Top 40 hits. As an example, when we provide music for a wedding celebration, we divide the evening into three parts. We start with dinner/lounge music at a discreet volume for the meal. This is followed by dance music, where we fall back on "evergreens", especially in the first rounds, so that the dance floor is always "well attended". Then follows a seamless transition to disco and party hits. The aim of the evening is that musically there is something for every guest.

Musical style breaks are therefore one of our specialties :)

Very interesting! Which events do you like to play the most?

Most of all we like to play weddings or company parties. At weddings, the energy of the guests is usually insane. Everyone is happy and exuberant, the ambience is beautiful and it's a very great feeling to make an already wonderful day for the bride and groom even more memorable through musically created mood. At company parties, it is often nice to see how the dynamics change in the course of the evening. While at the beginning still rather restrained mood prevails with the meal between e.g. the individual hierarchical structures. By the end, there is cross-departmental and cross-hierarchical celebration. It's no wonder that this type of event is extremely conducive to team building.

Which performance, which feedback are you particularly proud of, what was your personal highlight?

We are always very proud of the atmosphere at our performances and especially when guests or staff point out to us that we were able to convince musically and not by volume or exaggerated "entertainment".

Our personal highlight last year was our performance at an Oktoberfest in Miami, Florida. We were allowed to create a great atmosphere in a Bavarian restaurant for four days and are very proud to be able to travel the world with our music.

Those must have been great experiences! Is there a performance / anecdote you would like to share with us?

In 2014, we represented colleagues for three days at the Munich Oktoberfest. That was an exciting experience that we will certainly never forget. Especially the moment when the guests rocked out to "Highway to hell" with air guitars that we had spontaneously organized.

You can imagine that only too well! What does the year 2016 bring for you and your fans?

For 2016 we produced three new demo videos and redesigned our homepage. Musically, current songs were rehearsed. For larger events, our girls have worked out choreographies that not only look great, but can also be danced by less "bewegunsbegabten" band members. :)

Wonderful! We are looking forward to many more gigs with you and thank you for the interview!