Maria Faust receives the prestigious - Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik for Marches Rewound & Rewritten (Stunt Records, 2025)!

The Jury Says: It begins with a pounding, stomping sound, footfalls in four-four time. Trumpet and saxophone join in unison, followed by a cutting snare drum, then tuba, trombone, alto saxophone and clarinet. Left-right-left-right. And in no time we are marching along. In 2014, Estonian saxophonist Maria Faust founded the ensemble Sacrum Facere, which has been alluding to forms of violence and tyranny on its concept albums for years. That is also the case here. Maria Faust grew up in the Soviet Union, and marching was part of the soundtrack of her life. But these nine marches are unsettling, with jarring dissonances and an increasingly stumbling rhythm when the wind instruments break out with free improvisation. These are moments of beguiling beauty. Of freedom. We haven’t heard marches like this since Mauricio Kagel’s „Ten Marches to Miss Victory“. The album „Marches Rewound And Rewritten“ sends a powerful, multi-layered message. Listen to it! (For the annual committee: Petra Rieß) 

Listen to the album here: https://orcd.co/mariafaustsacrumfacererewoundandrewritten