He composed and arranged the complete so<strong>und</strong>track for the film Henry IV produced in 1984. From this film the pieces Tanti anni prima (Many Years Ago), a reworking of an earlier work entitled Ave Maria, and Oblivion have above all fo<strong>und</strong> their way into the concert hall. Máximo Diego Pujol, born in Buenos Aires in 1957, is one of the most interesting representatives of a new Argentine generation of composers. He too succeeds in exemplary fashion in combining various aspects of contemporary music with the spirit of traditional styles. In his multimovement Suite Buenos Aires he characterizes various districts of his native city. He leads the listener from the bustling Pompeya through the villa neighborhoods and the extended parks of Palermo to San Telmo. The tango perhaps even had its origin in this former slum zone; in any case, it is here like nowhere else in the world that the tango is played, sung, danced, and lived in the cafés and on the street. It is not without reason that music by the important Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) is also heard on this recording. As legend has it, in his youth Albéniz fled to Buenos Aires as a stowaway on a steamship. In Buenos Aires he worked as a pianist in cafés and organized concerts on his own. In this way he earned the money to return to Spain by way of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Given these experiences, it is thus not surprising that Albéniz many years later incorporated a Tango into his piano suite España. On this recording it is framed by a dreamy Prélude and the Malagueña dance from the south of Spain. Benjamin Ulrich, born in Berlin in 1980, studied timpani and percussion at the University of the Arts in Berlin. He also composed and arranged for various ensembles, with his special predilection being for jazz and above all big-band music. A Night in Argentina was composed by Ulrich as a commissioned work for the duo mélange in the summer of 006 and premiered with great success in October of the same year. In this work the marimba, vibraphone, flute, and piccolo as well as the bongos, cymbals, and other percussion instruments are assigned important tasks. The composer himself offered some explanatory words on the occasion of its premiere: »The piece looks over the »Big Pond« from a German perspective. The overall form and especially the motivic work are firmly rooted in the European music tradition. Three typical Argentine ideas, however, stamp its elaboration: rhythm, passion, and pride. Furthermore, the Argentine film composer Lalo Schifrin, whom I admire, is to be named as a source of inspiration.« The duo mélange was fo<strong>und</strong>ed by Almut Unger and Thomas Laukel in 1998. The two musicians combine the flute with the marimbaphone and vibraphone, two melodic percussion instruments, to create a unique so<strong>und</strong> mix. Some works are also enriched by the addition of the piccolo or alto flute as well as by various other instruments from the inexhaustible resources of the percussion family of instruments. The repertoire of the ensemble primarily consists of works from a wide range of epochs that have been arranged for this special ensemble. Whether music from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, piano compositions by Maurice Ravel or Robert Schumann, baroque sonatas, or even polkas and waltzes by Johann Strauß, the compositions always develop a special new appeal from the finely crafted arrangements and the fine touch of their musical realization, with the character of the sources never being lost in this process. A whole series of contemporary original works for flute and various percussion instruments ro<strong>und</strong> off the ensemble’s programs. From time to time the ensemble commissions works, and a number of composers have dedicated works to the duo in the past. The duo mélange regularly presents concerts throughout Germany, has been a guest in numerous renowned concert series, and has produced various record- 6 7 ings – since 006 for Musikproduktion <strong>Dabringhaus</strong> & <strong>Grimm</strong> (<strong>MDG</strong>). Almut Unger studied flute at the music colleges in Weimar, Budapest, and Leipzig. She has played in many orchestras and ensembles and regularly performs in chamber ensembles of various kinds. She also teaches at the Johann Sebastian Bach Music School in Leipzig and at the Ottmar Gerster Music School in the Leipziger Land. Thomas Laukel studied classical percussion at the Hanover College of Music and Theater, University of the Arts in Berlin, and Orchestra Academy of the Berlin State Orchestra. His work as a musician ranges from regular orchestra assignments to concerts and recordings in the chanson and jazz fields. In addition, he teaches at the Ottmar Gerster Music School in the Leipziger Land as well as at the Delitzsch Regional Music School. He is responsible for the arrangements for the duo mélange and plays a marimbaphone, various percussion instruments, and a vibraphone made by the Studio 49 Royal Percussion Company.