2006 Norwegian National Championships - Introduction

4BR will be in Bergen this weekend to bring you a flavour of one of the most exciting brass band contests in the world - the Norwegian Nationals.

The very best bands in Norway will be lining up in the superb Greig Hall in Bergen on the weekend to see who will take the top honours. 4BR will be there.

For the fourth successive year, 4BR will be packing the thermal underwear and taking a short break to head for the 27th running of the Norwegian National Brass Band Championships. Who would have thought that when the contest first started in 1979 it would blossom into an event of this magnitude.

The Norwegians at first copied what they had seen and heard at the Royal Albert Hall, but instead of letting the contest become gentrified they made amendments to the way in which they wanted it to be run, and more importantly to the way in which they thought it should develop successfully. Whatever the ups and downs, they now have a "Nationals" to rank with any other throughout the banding world and this year in particular will have the added extra spice as the Brits are back in force at the helms of seven of the leading contenders in the Elite Section.

For the "Elite Section" the format is now the same as the European Championships – a set work and own choice amalgam spread over two days. It has certainly made for some exciting contests over the past few years, and last year in particular was a cracker. Eikanger under Dr. Nicholas Childs won the title, emphasising their class with a comfortable win which brought them the chance to take on the very best in Europe come Belfast later this year. It wasn't without controversy though - just ask Stavanger.

However exciting that will prove to be, the real joy of Bergen (certainly not the price of beer) is the fact that so many of the bands, in all the sections push themselves to the limit (and in many cases, a bit too far for their own good) and the own choices selections of many competitors is ambitious to say the least.

Added to that is the fact for the second time here this year, there will be open adjudication in Sections Three and Four for the bands (Hooray!) so once again the Norwegians are pushing open new doors for the banding movement in the 21st Century.  

Being seen rather than just heard hasn't stopped the bands from picking those ambitious pieces either, with ‘Voyage of Discovery' and ‘Land of the Long White Cloud' among the choices no less being picked by a couple of bands in the Third Division, whilst in the Fourth Division one band has opted for ‘Essay for Brass Band' by Edward Gregson. .

It should make for a great weekend though and a possible indicator of the form of the very top bands here ahead of the Europeans and International Masters in Cambridge.

4BR will give regular updates each day and night to tell you how it is all panning out. We hope to get some interviews for a Podcast (as well we hope, some of the music played) from the great and the good, and will post the results up on the site the moment we get them.

We will of course soak up the atmosphere (do we ever not?), will remember we are ambassadors for our country and won't get too drunk. Honest!

The competing bands are as follows:

Elite Division:

Eikanger-Bjørsvik Musikklag
Ila Brass Band
Jaren Hornmusikkforening
Krohnengen Brass Band
Manger Musikklag
Molde Brass Band
Oslofjord Brass
Sandefjord Brass Symposium
Stavanger Brass Band
Tertnes Brass

First Division:

Alexander Brass Band
Askøy Brass Band
Brøttum Brass
Haukås Musikklag
Kleppe Musikklag
Oslo Brassband
Oster Brass
Radøy Brass
Sola Brass Band
Tomra Brass Band
Tromsø Brass
Vennesla Kristne Brass

Second Division:

Bergen Brass Band
Borge Brass Band
Flesland Musikklag
Follesø Musikklag
Fræna Musikkorps
Hornorkesteret Stavanger
Sagvåg Musikklag
Stangaland Brass
Sørum Musikklag
Tertnes Amatørkorps
Trondheim Politis Brassband
Tysnes Musikklag
Ørskog Brass

Third Division:

Austrheim/Lindås Musikklag
Fagernes Musikkorps
Gjesdal Brasss Band
Gjøvik Bybrass
Hasle Brass
Jølster Musikklag
Laksevåg Musikkforening
Musikkorpset Gjallarhorn
Nes Musikkforening
Rong Brass
Skodje Ungsomskorps
Skui Brassband

Fourth Division:

Brumund Nordaasen Musikkforening
Eigersund Blåseorkester
Frei Hornmusikk
Grenland Brass
Hetlevik Musikklag
Hordvik Musikklag
IMI Brass
Kaland/Lysefjorden Musikklag
Kjølsdalen musikklag
Kopervik Musikkorps
Kvikne Hornmusikk
Lalm Musikkforening
Lismarka / Mesnali Brass
Rosendal Musikklag
Rudsbygd Brass
Sauda Musikklag
Skeie GladBrass

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