About us
Duo Ultima
The name of Duo Ultima is a play on words. On the one hand, the music the duet plays is very challenging, the ultimate challenge; and on the other hand, the name connects with the name Ultima Thule, a name given to the northernmost land, possibly Iceland, by the ancient Greek explorer Pytheas from Massilia.
Duo Ultima has been active for 13 years. The players’ first cooperation was in the autumn of 2001, when they rehearsed Jacques Iberts’ saxophone concert “Concertino da Camera” for a concert with the North-Iceland Symphony Orchestra. The duet’s very first concert took place in the spring of 2002, when Bäumer and Rácz played a program of French Impressionistic music, from composers such as Claude Debussy, Florent Schmitt and André Jolivet.
At that time, the musicians Guido Bäumer and Aladár Rácz lived temporarily in North-Iceland, in the small villages Dalvík and Húsavík, where they acted as a significant part of the villages’ musical life and had the time and the leisure to practice and intensify their own understanding of the music of both well-known and lesser-known composers, such as André Caplet.
Since 2005, Guido has lived in the Reykjavík capital area and Aladár moved there in year 2013. Both are respected musicians and teachers in Iceland, including in esteemed institutions like the Iceland Academy oft he Arts (Listaháskóli Íslands) and others.
Duo Ultima has combined a variety of concert programs, such as “The French Saxophone”, “Saxophone Impressions” and “The Virtuoso Saxophone.“ The Duo has also participated in numerous festivals and played in many larger concert halls. Their next project is an extension of the Duo Ultima, a Tango Quartet, focusing on Astors Piazzollas’ music (saxophone, piano, contrabass and accordion).
Guido Bäumer Saxophone
Guido Bäumer was born in Germany.
At young age he entered the Musikhochschule in Bremen, Germany, obtaining a teaching degree for saxophone and flute. Guido then studied at the Musikhochschule Basel in the concert class of Prof. Iwan Roth, where he achieved a concert diploma par excellence for saxophone.
After that Guido completed a post-graduate degree from the Bowling Green State University of Ohio, USA, achieving the honored “artist certificate”.
He has participated in various masterclasses and has been a participant and a winner of several competitions in Germany and France.
Guido is a member of the Icelandic Saxophone Quartet that has been active since 2006 and is celebrated in Iceland. Guido also plays with diverse chamber-music groups and orchestras in Iceland, such as Caput-Neue Musikensemble and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.
Aladár Rácz Piano
Aladár Rácz was born in Bucharest, Romania, from Hungarian roots.
He started his musical education at the „Georges Enescu“ music school in Bucharest and then moved on to the Music-Academy in Bucharest.
After completing his degree, he soon completed his post-graduate studies at the Music-Academy in Budapest, Hungary.
Aladár has participated in numerous masterclasses and has been a participant in and winner of international competitions, in Spain and Italy, amoung others.
Aladár takes an active part in Icelandic music life, performing as a soloist, a chamber-musician and as an accompanist. Notable performances include the Brahms Piano-Concert Nr. 1 and Beethovens Piano-Concert Nr. 1 with the North-Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Grieg´s Piano-Concert.
2019 June,Pescara,Italy:CD recording.
Programme:
Jacques Ibert:Aria.
Eugène Bozza:Pulcinella,Scaramouche.
Claude Pascal:Sonatine.
Astor Piazolla :Tango-Études.
Fernande Decruck:Pieces Françaises.
Claude Delvincourt: Croquembouches.
our CDS are available on:
SPOTIFY:
https://play.spotify.com/album/20yrEhjwWLG5A4V8iZspUP?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open
https://play.spotify.com/artist/1TtrHyCVjUQlgartIjVkMz?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open
AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/Flashback-Guido-Bäumer-Aladár-Rácz/dp/B017LC1CRO
https://www.amazon.com/French-Connection-Duo-Ultima/dp/B01N7ROKN7
APPLE MUSIC:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/flashback-music-for-saxophone/id1069963337
