2006 Victorian Championships

Retrospective: B Grade

There were only three bands in the B Grade section but by no means was there a shortage of quality.

B Grade
Adjudicator:  Eric Anderson
Test:  Princethorpe Variations by Kenneth Downie

The end of the day was upon us.  By the time the first B Grade band had taken to the stage at 7.30pm, 17 other bands had already played, got their results, had a post mortem in the foyer or the hotel next door, and were on their way home. The players remaining had to dig deep to give maximum focus and concentration. Several players in the B Grade section had already played at some stage during the day with other bands.

A dynamic bundle in the form of Danny van Bergen in front of an equally dynamic band, Boorondara, stole the show in B Grade. That certainly doesn't take anything away from the performances by Box Hill City and Diamond Valley who both gave strong, well-prepared and entertaining presentations.

Are Boroondara A Grade?  In our opinion, the band is similar in standard to Warringah from Sydney who have recently been upgraded to A Grade in NSW.  Relative to B Grade bands in Queensland - Boroondara would have the edge.

B Grade Championship winners, Boroondara

Results:
Hymn, Test, Concert, March
1. Boroondara 46, 92, 46, 43
2. Box Hill City 42, 91, 44, 44
3. Diamond Valley 44, 88, 45, 42

Box Hill City
Conductor:  David Farrell

Box Hill played for its Hymn tune, Abide With Me, arranged by band member Andrew Batterham.  The arrangement was different, interesting, and quite beautiful in parts. 

The bands performance of the test piece was quite neat at times but too many blips did detract.  Matt van Emmerick permitted on Euph and again, played superbly. 

Box Hill City

There was not a particularly wide dynamic range and there were often intonation problems - especially in the cornets and horns.

The march, Eagle Squadron by Wilcox, was rhythmic but for us, needed more spirit. Box Hill were awarded highest points in the march.

Trumpets Wild by Walters was the concert item.  This was well played, but again, lacking a particular 'sparkle'. 

Box Hill gave better than decent performances for each piece and was overall, very well done.

Diamond Valley Brass Band
Conductor:  Dean Hughes

The chosen Hymn, Lloyd arranged by Giles, commenced tunefully and the ensemble moved well together. 

There was obvious close attention to detail throughout the test piece, and MD Dean Hughes was working hard to create mood and character.  There were some lovely lyrical moments, but clarity was lost in the faster more technically difficult sections.  The sop passages were tastefully played.

Diamond Valley Brass

Gonna Fly Now, again arranged by Colin Lord, was heaps of fun and had a great feel and real sense of enjoyment.

The March, Army of the Nile, saw the wheels begin to fall off.  The opening was great but the further into the piece the band played the more players seemed to rush groups and push the tempo. 

Diamond Valley are a well rounded, very capable band.  With Dean Hughes as conductor, the band should strengthen and grow musically.

Boroondara Brass
Conductor:  Danny van Bergen

Danny van Bergen lead this fine group of players to a deserved win in all pieces except the march.

The Hymn, Crimond arranged by Richards, had a gorgeous opening played by Jared Moore on permit from Hawthorn, and oozed sensitivity.

The test had a secure confident start from the horns, but there were moments of looseness in the Allegro.  The melody was always heard and passed between sections well. The dynamic contrast could have been better and the ensemble sometimes became unsettled but control was quickly regained.  The finish fell a little flat - seemed like the band didn't have anymore to give - one or two more basses would have helped.

Boroondara Brass

For us, Riverdance arranged by Farr, was a highlight and a terrific way to bring the whole weekend to a close.  Broden Ford on kit (permit from Kew) was a star, ably assisted by the multi-talented Josh Rogan (permit from Hawthorn).

The flugel and cornet soloists did very well but were sometimes drowned out by the accompaniment.  The choreography was effective but we would have like to have seen more - the soloists could could have handled it.

The final piece, Army of the Nile (again), took off at a very spirited tempo.  The band needs to be very careful to maintain rhythmic control at all times.  The soprano obligato was OK - this player shows great promise! 

Boroondara should be well and truly in with a show in B Grade at the 2007 Nationals.

Dave Watson, Danny van Bergen, Amanda Casagrande and Jared Moore heavily into the post-contest analysis process