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2003 Pontins Brass Band Championships
Pontins Holiday Camp, Prestatyn, North Wales
Sat/Sun 25/26th October
Harry and Margaret Mortimer Championship
Retrospective:
England regains the Pontins Championship as Skelmanthorpe enjoy
their "Festival" to the full.
Given that the current Rugby World Cup is seeing something of
a Welsh renaissance on the playing field (until this weekend perhaps)
it should have come as little surprise that three of the five winners
at the Pontins Championships came from the Principality.
Phoenix West Midlands Brass bucked the trend by winning the Fourth
Section for England (although they were conducted by a chap with
a partial surname of a former Welsh scrum half), it would seem that
the bars of the Pontins Holiday camp would have been alive and noisy
to the sound of close harmony singing on the weekend.
However an English band from the very heartland of St. George and
the dark satanic mills of Jerusalem fame won the big prize. Sunday’s
contest which was reduced to 21 bands from the original 25 due to
some late withdrawals proved to be one of the best championship
section contests here for a few years - an excellent test piece,
fine weather and some high class performances made it an enjoyable
playing and listening experience it seemed.
The music itself is very demanding and any band or MD who underestimated
its difficulties soon came a cropper. Eric Ball was one of the greatest
composers the band movement has produced and his “Festival
Music” tests all parts of the band to the full. The attendance
in the hall proved what a popular choice the test piece was and
in their summing up to a packed hall, both adjudicators spoke of
their love of the music and the composer. The winning performances
were the ones who had, in their opinions, got the most music out
of the score, and they congratulated the soloists for their playing.
The prize for the best soloist went to Emma Farrow the solo euphonium
player with Hepworth who gave a sparkling performance - none more
so than in the second movement. Emma was a worthy winner of the
award.
Having listened to all the performances we felt that quite a few
bands played far too loud and there was not enough contrast in dynamics,
something that could not be said about the bands in the prizes -
especially the first three. The top two stood out for us and the
judges, and they told 4BR afterwards that it was a very close decision
in picking the overall winner. Skelmanthorpe it was though and with
Kevin Wadsworth at the helm they returned to Yorkshire a very happy
bunch indeed.
The two winning performances came after each other at draw numbers
7 and 8 and set the standard that the rest of the field couldn’t
quite match.
Skelmanthorpe were on top of the test piece right from the start.
The soloists were on excellent form and there was plenty of detail
– especially in the first movement that had a real sparkle
about it. It also benefited from some sympathetic direction from
Kevin Wadsworth and by the time the tricky middle movement had been
overcome with a solidity that others on the day lacked, the third
was overcome with a technical confidence that made it sound very
controlled. Where others tried to make something out of nothing,
Skelmanthorpe played the notes in the manner they should have and
benefited from not overblowing. This had the right feel and the
first prize was their reward. It was unbeatable, but on this day
it was too good for the rest and gives the band a huge boost of
confidence.
Hard on their heels came Hepworth, who followed the eventual winners
on and gave a really exciting performance. The tempo of the first
movement was brisk and lively, but there was detail and contrast
in the playing , whilst the second movement benefited greatly from
the euph playing of Emma Farrow who shone amongst some classy playing
from all “corner men”. Mark Bentham’s direction
was also very musical and shaped the music in just the right style.
Second place was bang on the mark for us, and on another day, they
could have well be crowned champions.
The last place on the podium went to Fishburn under the direction
of the experienced Graham O’Connor who once more showed that
any band under his direction will always be amongst the prizes.
It was a craftily constructed performance we felt – steady
to start, time for the detail to come through and then with a solid
second movement leading into an exciting close. On a day when others
tried too hard to excite, this more relaxed approach was very pleasing
on the ear and third place was more than justified.
The final three places in the top six went to Carlton Main, Ashton
Under Lyne and Glossop Old, all of whom gave very committed performances
of the test piece.
Carlton Main were perhaps a bit too solid and bold in places –
the last movement tended to be a little overdone dynamically, but
it was secure from start to finish. Just too many little rubato’s
in the second movement robbed the flow, but none the less it was
impressive stuff. 4th place could have been higher if the excitement
hadn’t got to them towards the end. Meanwhile, Ashton continued
to show that Pontins is perhaps their favourite venue as they once
more came into the prizes with a fine solid show. As the last band
on, they had a long wait before taking to the stage, but it didn’t
show and was a fine effort from all concerned. Finally, Glossop
Old and Jim Cant also produced a well-shaped performance that was
light in style and well balanced throughout, but just had those
costly individual errors that lost them valuable points. They did
sound a good very band in the making once more though.
Dobcross could count themselves well pleased to come 7th. Off the
number 1 draw they produced a well shaped performance that MD, Denis
Hadfield brought some deft musical touches to, but the errors were
plentiful and just spoilt what could have been a very good performance
indeed.
Behind them came Pennine Brass, who we thought gave a bit of a
liquorice allsorts of a show – some real, real tasty bits,
and a couple of moments that didn’t take your fancy. Some
of the bass work was quite excellent, whilst the solo cornet playing
was of the highest class, but the errors when they came were very
noticeable and so they could only come 8th – about right for
us. Lindley also had a curates egg of a day – some lovely
cornet and euphonium work which was as good as any on the day, but
too many errors and a harsh sound to the ensemble towards the end
that grated. Just a bit more control in that final movement may
have got them higher up the prize list.
After that came a whole batch of bands that made lacked the consistency
throughout the three movements to come higher than they did. Two
out of three ain't bad at most things, nbut at a brass bad contest
it usually means that you come out of the top six -–and so
it proved with BT, BTM, St. Austell, Wingates and Beaumaris.
BT for us came a few places too high – theirs was a performance
that never quite came off from the start, and although the trombones
were first rate, the rest of the band sounded uncomfortable with
the style the music required and which the MD, Mike Fowles was trying
hard to create. BTM were another band that never quite controlled
the music. The shape and style was there, but too often too many
of the entries sounded too heavily accented and the music broke
into “sections” lacking flow. The solo playing was first
class though, but 11th spot was a fair return. St. Austell had one
of those days when it nearly all came together, but just lacked
the control in the ensemble. The shape and style was there, but
it rocked too often and the overall picture lacked clarity. Wingates
could count themselves unlucky for us though. This was a fine effort
off the early number 3 draw, and whilst the last movement did dound
too heavy dynamically, the first two for us were bang on. 13th place
was seven of eight places too low for us, but that’s contesting
for you. Finally, Beaumaris, who played before Wingates at number
2, but who had too many unforced errors and who tried to blow their
way through the final movement – a tactic that didn’t
suit the music at all. If they had followed the style of the first
two movements then it would have deserved to come higher, but that
bit of a thrash at the end was costly.
The bottom seven bands could have come in any order really for
us – there wasn’t much to choose between them on the
day, and although some may think themselves unlucky, none of them
did enough musically or technically to have forced their way up
the prize list.
Gateshead off the number 14 draw had some noticeable tuning problems
that spoilt a well shaped performance under their MD, whilst City
of Coventry under Philip Bailey started very well and had a lovely
flow, before unravelling towards the end of the second movement
and into the third. Tongwynlais Temperance were too aggressive in
style for us – everything seemed harshly articulated, especially
in the first movement, and although it improved as they went along,
the damage was well and truly done. Mossley too had their moments,
but a weak start was probably their undoing, whilst Jackfield (Elcock
Reisen) were another that brought too much aggression to their performance.
The first movement sounded more Bourgeois than Ball.
Finally, Drighlington sounded tentative even though Colin Hardy
had just the right approach to the musical shape. It was one performance
unlike many others that actually needed a bit more beef in the sound
and articulation. Freckleton propped up the table – a surprise
result given their recent form, and their musical approach from
the MD. We had them 15th – but as we said, there wasn’t
too much between 15th and 21st on the day. Unlucky though.
So the winners were Skelmanthorpe – a decision that found
favour with the audience, although there were some grumbles about
the fact Kevin Wadsworth was also one of the adjudicators on the
weekend. Nothing untoward with that, and theirs was the best performance
of the contest, but it does give the conspiracy nutters the chance
to get their mitten hands into. If they had actually sat in the
Hall and listened though, then they would have realised this was
a worthy winner of the 30th Anniversary Contest – no arguments.
Richard Grantham.
© 4BarsRest
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