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2003 4BR Awards:
Conductor of the Year
Read our nominations below for the above category. To vote, follow
the links at the bottom of this page.
Last year this title was won in thrilling fashion by Russell Gray,
who had something of a Midas touch to contests during that twelve-month
period with Fodens Richardson and others. He has of course continued
to do very well, but for us, even he has been eclipsed during the
past year.
It’s not just about contest successes – even though
it is the crudest measure in the brass band world of being regarded
as good conductor. There is perhaps a “hidden” ingredient
that marks out the good from the great and great from the truly
inspirational. Some conductors look the part, but are really frauds
in the talent stakes, whilst others think being flamboyant means
wearing a slightly risqué tie, but can produce quite sublime
musical performances (although that usually means they come nowhere
in the prize list).
It’s what the special MD’s can do
with bands on concert stages and on recordings that is the true
mark – as a well as when they transfer their talents to other
bands. Somehow, with these guys in front of them, just about any
band can play put of their skins.
Our five we think have more than proved that they have the talent
and the inspirational qualities during the past twelve months to
have marked them out, so these are the men who we think deserve
a nomination.
 David King
The 2001 winner of this award has had yet another incredible year
of contest successes, both with his long term employers, Yorkshire
Building Society and his “guest” appearances with Stavanger
in Norway and the USA.
He added another two major titles to his ever burgeoning portfolio
during 2003 at the Open and European (where he was tested to the
very limit this year), whilst he also took time to add another Norwegian
National title to his CV when he directed Stavanger to a mighty
impress victory in Bergen in February and in the USA later on. He
did miss out on the Nationals (which is something of a bete noir)
by not making it past the qualifiers, but that somehow stoked him
up even further, and he was just a point away from winning the Masters
as well. It wasn’t just the contest successes though that
made 2003 a great year, as he also directed YBS on a deeply impressive
CD of Derek Bourgeois music and led them in a thrilling rendition
of his “Apocalypse” at the European Gala Concert. You
wonder what he will do if he ever gets his hands on the big silver
London cup.
 Allan Withington
If it wasn’t for a few bonkers moments of wayward playing
on “The Planets” at Birmingham, then 2003 would have
been the year when Allan Withington would have become the first
ever conductor to win all four major brass band titles.
4th place
at Symphony Hall could have been 1st place if it wasn’t for
those errors, but what that performance showed was that Allan Withington
had once again struck up an amazing musical relationship with a
top class band, and in London he wasn’t to be denied.
Even though it wasn’t the greatest performance from the band
to win, the adjudicators waxed lyrical over his interpretation and
the bands attempt of delivering true “Elgarian” musical
portraits. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that he won,
as the Albert Hall seems to suit him better than just about any
other MD.
He missed the opening salvos of the year on “Prague”
(lucky boy we hear some say), but by the time of Cambridge he was
starting to more than make his mark at Fairey FP (Music). The Open
saw him come close, but the Nationals saw him strike gold for a
fourth time. Only true class can win three of the four majors, so
watch out next year in Birmingham.
 Robert Childs
There seems to be an insatiable appetite to succeed burning in
the stomach of Robert Childs. In a year when his band performed
superbly at each of the major contests they entered, he will have
possibly still seen 2003 as a disappointing contesting year. He
would be wrong though.
BAYV Cory won the Welsh Regional Contest in emphatic style and
then missed out on the European title by the narrowest of narrow
margins, whilst they were more than a little hard done by in Birmingham
and played their hearts out in London.
The difference between victory
and defeat can be measured in musical microns at times, and for
us each performance of his band had the hallmarks of detailed preparation,
thorough understanding of the score and a direct and transparent
interpretation of the musical content that set them apart in even
the highest class fields. If they had won all the contests they
entered during 2003 there wouldn’t have been many who would
have disagreed.
However, the most impressive aspect of his direction was seen in
his concert and recording work during the past twelve months. They
were the best band by far at the British Open and National Finals
Concerts, whilst they also found time to release some very high
class CD’s. It said a lot about him that he could inspire
his band to perform like after suffering such contests disappointments.
 Garry
Cutt
They say the best things come in small packages, and with Garry
Cutt you wouldn’t disagree. Once more during 2003 he showed
that he is one of the very best brass band Musical Directors around,
crowning his 12 year stint at Grimethorpe Colliery UK Coal with
another flawless victory at the Spennymoor Brass in Concert Contest
and also claiming victory at the All England Masters with his new
employers, Leyland.
The hallmarks of his interpretations are clear – precise
and detailed readings, balanced sounds and good intonation and the
ability to coax his players into performing as musicians rather
than just players. That’s what happened at Cambridge on “Chivalry”
when the sum of the parts he put together added up to a performance
that secured his first Masters title. Where others tried to make
something of nothing, he made something special out of a very straightforward
work that seemed to elude nearly every other MD on the day.
Spennymoor is certainly his territory though and once more his
amazing musical relationship with perhaps the hardest band in the
world to direct once again saw him victorious. Grimey have a well
deserved reputation as a “hard” band to win over, but
for 12 years he has made them perform better under him than just
about anyone else. They will find him a very hard man to replace.
 Helge Haukas
The last conductor on our list of nominations may raise an eyebrow
or two in more parochial circles, but for those of us lucky enough
to see him direct his bands at the Norwegian National Brass Band
Championships, and later the European Youth Brass Band in Bergen
can attest to the fact that there weren’t many better MD’s
going about their business in 2003 than him.
He directed two beautifully shaped performances in the top section
in Bergen from an underpowered Jaren Hornmusikkforening and did
the same in the Second Section with Oslo. His direction was precise
and unflustered, devoid of any unnecessary histrionics and with
superb clarity of purpose. Where as the top bands at the Nationals
plumbed for imported talent, they seemed to us to have missed a
trick by not using him.
At the European he was in charge of the European Youth Band and
directed them quite brilliantly through their six concerts, drawing
together disparate nationalities and talents into a fine rounded
and balanced band sound with sensitivity and understanding. No one
could argue that this was a real maestro at work.
Previous winners:
2002: Russell Gray
2001: David King
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