ARTICLES

National Championships 2003

Third Section
Adjudicators Remarks

These are the official adjudications from the men in the box - not 4BR and certainly not David Blaine. These are the thoughts of Duncan Beckley and Dr Roy Newsome..............

1st Place.
Diggle

Roy Newsome
1. Very thoughtful and some quite beautiful moments [B] impressive. Acc. Well handled. Everything nicely balanced. A bit wild in close.
2. Good 1st section. Tuning suspect before [B] but [B] well judged. Nice sounds & again good balance. Good Presto to end. A fine movement.
3. Beautiful dark sounds to open. Well shaped melody capturing the pathos. Sop/S Ct duet quite moving & very dramatic into [B]. Not quite clean at ‘a tempo’ – but good close to a good movement.
4. Controlled yet sparkiling in the fanfares [A] splendidly balanced. [B] could have more breadth. Muted cts good. Reprise goes according to plan & leads to a fine close to a very good performance. Thank you.

Duncan Beckley
I. Good start [A] Good bass trombone Tempo1 – good poco accel well handled [D] once again well handled Good close.
II. Good opening – well done cornets Good approach at [B] [C] - Good [D] – Good [E] good solo horn [F] )K Good presto A fine movement.
III. Good start – [A] well shaped 8 before [B] – well done [C] Good A good movement well shaped.
IV. Good start – triplets well played [B] a little bit more maestoso for me [C] good solo horn 5th bar of [C] – good cornets [D] – very good [E] – good An excellent performance with shape and excitement.

2nd Place
Hoover (Bolton)

Roy Newsome
1. Very nice opening but tempo/accents from [A] needed more attention. Nevertheless some impressive moments. Good movement but slightly abrupt final note.
2. Good scherzo style & [B] is fine – good euph. Reprise goes well & a ggod presto ending.
3. opening – great dark sounds but very slight intonation lapses here & there. A lovely treatment of the melody & [A] is quite moving. Sop/Ct duo good – perhaps a touch more < > fron Ct. Nicely into [B] & going into a beautiful close.
4. Fanfares good & final chord excellent [B] well done on poco maestoso –throughout. Reprise form [D] is fine & I enjoyed Tbns in final phrase. A very good performance. Thank you.

Duncan Beckley
I. Good opening with good balanced sounds. [A] good [B] good sounds 5 of [B] euph a little uncertain poco accel – good [D] keep the music flowing 4 before the end some good sounds but a stronger ending needed for me.
II. Good opening [A] good [B] nice style, good euph [C] [D] good [E] solo horn good Good cornets [F] well handled Presto could have moved on a little bit more but good ending
III. opening good style but intonation evident. [A] good 8 before [B] well done cornets great style [B] well shaped very good close
IV. Good bright cornet sounds. Good band sounds 2 before [A]. [B] well handled. 7 before [D] good trombs. [D] excellent [E] some impressive playing. Last 4 bars could be a touch more dynamic. A good performance.

3rd Place
Carlton Brass

Roy Newsome
1. Very well handled. Plenty of space & well done sop from [A]. All sounds authoritative, with good tempo changes & a real feel for the mood.
2. Lovely feel to this Euph a bit heavy at [B] - & [D]. Neat work from S.Ct & Hn though. S Ct slightly flat a one point. Good use of Rall but Presto needed more ‘romp’
3. Some very nice moments Ct again flat (p24 a tempo) [B] (as well as opening) should be softer. Nevertheless much feeling. Overall a good movement.
4. Great Pageantry in opening fanfare. [A] appropriately busy. Careful not to rush though. Good colours from [B] but could be more Maestoso Muted cts not balanced. A very satisfying performance. Thank you.

Duncan Beckley
I. Good opening A fine approach [A] good sop [B] well handled Good euph [D] – end. All parts fit well Good balance and convincing close.
II. Good opening all parts fit well [B] good sorry about that note euph! [D] well controlled well done euph. [E] good horn. Cornet a little flat. [F] well handled [G] presto could be a bit quicker.
III. Start not convincing Bar 7 horns intonation [A] Good style 9 of [A] cornets a little loud. Good ending.
Iv. Excellent opening [A] well handled good euph baritones [B] good [C] OK 5 of [C] not balanced cornets [E] good Good close.

4th Place
St. Dennis

Roy Newsome
1. This was a very well played movement – good tuning, balance, phrasing. Just on the quick side to fully exploit the solemnity.
2. More fine fine playing Euph not totally clear from [B] but all at a high level. [E] fanfares didn’t quite click here not quite a Presto but a jolly good movement.
3. As with 1st movement it needed a bit more space to find the real tragedy. Nevertheless a fine movement.
4. great opening Rolls along nicely from [A] good maestoso Muted cts not balanced (insufficient sop) Reprise (from [D] ) fine in every way. Slightly fell away in close.

Duncan Beckley
I. Good start – a little on the quick side but some good playing Poco accel – good euph. Excellent band playing at [C]. [D] to end OK – weak last note.
II. Good opening [B] good euph [C] good shape euph solo not as clean this time. [E] good solo horn. Good cornet too [F] well handled [G] could have moved on a bit.
III. opening a little quick for me. [A] good. 2/1 before [B] – intonation creeping in. [B] a little quick loses a little bit this time. Good close.
IV. [A] a little steady for me [B] more maestoso please 7 before [D] balance good trombones. [D] good band playing 3 before end – a little hint of uncertainty now to finish. A good performance with some fine moments.

5th Place
Sandhurst Silver

Roy Newsome
1. Band makes nice sound, generally well in tune but not quite achieving the solemnity.
2. A god scherzando fell 7 everything well balanced. Take care that [B] is only poco meno mosso, lapse in intonation before [B] Otherwise an effective movement.
3. I like the pathos portrayed here. The style is quite beautiful & there are some good effects. Horns a little sharp in upper register. Dynamics well controlled. Intonation lapses 3 bars from end. A pity.
4. God opening section. Could make more of maestoso from [B] good muted cornet effect [C]. [D] lacked clarity & [E] didn’t quite make the ‘quasi corni’ A very commendable performance.

Duncan Beckley
I. Opening a little quick [A] poor intonation in cornets [B] good full sounds poco accel - well handled. [C] good sounds [D] OK overall a little too quick.
II. Good opening. [A]/[B] well handled [C] [D] everything well handled and good balance. Last a tempo – good sounds good close.
III. Good opening but a little loud for me. [A] could be a little broader. Rall bar good. [B] once again good style. Horns a little untuneful. Everything is good. Last 4 bars a little bit of intonation.
IV. Good opening. Triplets a little untidy. [A] good [B] poco maestoso I need more. Good horn at [C]. [D] horns and baritones a little muddled [E] a little untidy. A good close. Thank you.

6th Place
Conwy Town

Roy Newsome
1. Lovely rich sound, authoritative & all dynamics & expression good. Not quite in tune at Tempo I before [B] a commendable movement but last note didn’t quite come off.
2. Nice scherzando style [B] only poco meno mosso loses its momentum here. Nevertheless good sounds from [C]. [E] horn insecure. A good movement but Presto have moved more.
3. This lacks pathos – needs to be more deeply felt. Otherwise – sound good, but intonation lapses in high horns & final chords not very impressive.
4. Good opening at [A] well done – good trills [B] maestoso? Balance a good feature. A good movement.

Much to commend here. I particularly like the use of Rit & Rall.

Duncan Beckley
I. Good start, music flows well. [A] very good Tempo 1 untuneful [B] some good sounds. Poco accel – good euphonium [D] Good style, but intonation is creeping in a little. Ending not convincing.
II. Good start. [A] OK [B] A little stodgy. Also solo a little more please [C] Good – good euph [D] OK Good euph [E] odd blemish in horn [F] good [G] wasn’t ‘presto’ for me.
III. Good start but tempo is a little quick and loses the mood. [A] good style a tempo well handled [B] a bit quick and horns intonation creeping in a little. Last 4 bars uncertain.
IV. Good opening – well done cornets [A] good style, well done horn at [C] good balance trombs in 8th bar [D] good [E] good horns and middle band. Good close.

© 4BarsRest

back to top