Saturday 26, 23:32:10
2024 Champion: De Waldsang
Rieks van der Velde is presented with a special score by the composer
The winning moment
2024 Champion: De Waldsang
Runner-up: Brassband Rijnmond
Third place: Brass Band Schoonhoven
Best Soloist: Bass section of Brassband Rijnmond
Result:
Championship Division:
Test Piece: The Lost Circle (Jan Van der Roost)
Adjudicators: Dr Robert Childs, Bert Appermont, Frans-Aert Burghgraef
1. De Waldsang (Rieks van der Velde): 95
2. Brassband Rijnmond (Luc Vertommen): 94
3. Brass Band Schoonhoven (Paul Holland): 92
4. Soli Brass (Anne van den Berg): 91
5. Provinciale Brassband Groningen (Gerk Huisma): 90
6. De Bazuin Oenkerk (Jaap Musschenga): 87
7. De Spijkerpakkenband (Paulus de Jong): 86
8. Brass Band Limburg (Renato Meli): 85
9. Altena Brass (Ward De Ketelaere): 84
Best Soloist: Tuba section of Brassband Rijnmond
Saturday 26, 22:53:03
Championship Section:
Round up and opinion
A contest of contrasts in quality but always interesting and thoroughly absorbing could well be a battle between the big guns.
The best really brought something out of the score — with some crafty contest craftsmanship on show by a couple of MDs that perhaps will make the difference.
It's a three way battle for the top honours for us, with Brass Band Schoonhoven giving perhaps the most complete account of the day, with defending champion Brassband Rijnmond close behind and with the late runner of De Bazuin Oenkerk close on their heels.
The rest of the top six could come in any order, but we plumb for Provinciale Brassband Groningen from Soli Brass and Altena Brass who made a real impression on many. Our dark horse is de Waldsang.
4BR Editor's choice
1. Brass Band Schoonhoven
2. Brassband Rijnmond
3. De Bazuin Oenkerk
4. Provinciale Brassband Groningen
5. Soli Brass
6. Altena Brass
Dark Horse: De Waldsang
Saturday 26, 22:42:49
Championship Division:
9. De Bazuin Oenkerk (Jaap Musschenga)
As a late runner determined to make a mark — and a significant one at that, this will have given the judges plenty to ponder.
There was a bold confidence about the playing with an atmospheric setting of the starting point for the narrative journey.
That was added to by a carefully trodden path made by the tubas and euphs and followed over hill and vale, marshland and craggy outcrop by the band — each technical obstacle tackled with sensible graft and endeavour.
The MD shaped their industrial graft with measured assuredness as did his players all the way to the Wiltshire idyll.
Here the flugel led with tenderness and rich musicality which was taken on by the top notch cornet, euph and soaring soprano. So much to enjoy and not once did the MD over indulge. Spot on — and it closed with a warm embracing climax.
The processional was one of the better ones to begin and whilst it just lost a little energy it regained it in spades as the final destination came into sight.
A real celebratory drive brought the music forward with so much joy, and the final fling was great — like a down tools Friday afternoon on a work site and off to the pub after the last bluestone has been plonked in place.
Saturday 26, 22:09:34
Championship Division:
8. De Spijkerpakkenband (Paulus de Jong)
A hard grafted, well considered account from the 'Blue Jeans' band played with a considered appreciation of the score narrative by the MD.
Those obvious considerations came right from the start, with an opening that set the scene without really breaking through the damp mist to seek the magic.
It was followed by sections of neatly executed graft in dragging the heavy stones across the sodden turf from the Preseli Hills to their new home in Wiltshire.
It was never dramatic or evocative even, but it did its job nothing was amiss in the ensemble or any lead lines — the final effort a levered hoist of sound more than anything to get to the rest stop somewhere on the prehistoric motorway.
The flugel led things so well in the Arcadia of lyrical intent — followed by a fine cornet and euph. Some sandstone grit just saw the music catch a snag or two and it yearned for a slightly more satisfying climax too.
The processional with its hints of the music to 'Cape Fear' got off to a messy start but it recovered as the final resting place for the bluestones was sighted on the horizon.
Stiff backed endeavour drew the music forward with a joyful intensity and the control shown was admirable to ensure that there was just enough stamina left to pick the old prehistoric Lego blocks up and place them upright and proud in their eternal holes in the ground.
Saturday 26, 21:39:15
Championship Division:
7. Altena Brass (Ward De Ketelaere)
Although rather more lightweight tonally in comparison to rivals today, this was a performance that still evoked a fine narrative sense of time and place.
Much of that was down to a superb percussion team who set their stall out from the word go with the best formless prehistory opening heard — right out of the box marked 'Welsh, magical and mysterious'.
From then on they coloured and enhanced the picture — never dominating but always adding to the texture of the musical landscape.
What they supported was so well handled and well controlled by the MD and the rest of his players. They gave the following sections a sense of artisan endeavour, keeping the tread of the music consistent and cultured even when it demanded a fair bit of grunt and grind.
There was plenty of artistry on show too when the stone age navvies had done their bit — the central heart of the work an idyllic Wiltshire inhabited by a lovely flugel, consummate solo cornet and bravura euph. The warm climax was embracing.
A neat bit of MD fixing nipped any potential processional problems in the bud and from then on it grew in intensity — although it wasn't a heavyweight drive of celebration to the final destination, more a lean muscular canter.
It had a raw excitement in the final section — just as marked and there was plenty in the tank to chuck the old stones into their resting place with aplomb.
One to really enjoy that.
Saturday 26, 21:04:33
Championship Division:
6. Brassband Rijnmond (Luc Vertommen)
A performance built on the know-how, experience and contest craft of a conductor who knew this score better than just about anyone in the hall this weekend having judged on it at the British Open.
An atmospheric opening confirmed the resultant approach — considered but effective, not overdone but still making its point with the tuba quartet taking solid, balanced steps in time with each other.
The hard graft of boulder moving was accomplished in every sense — not overburdened dynamically especially to allow counterpoints of filigree and melody to match and complement. The music had such a settled feel despite the obvious technical obstacles in the narrative path.
Good to hear the musical heart of the work delivered without recourse to prehistoric sugar coated pathos — not magical and somewhat matter of fact, but in contesting terms all the better for it. Cornet, euph and sop added to the polish before a climax of rich sonority closed things off.
The trom led processional just took time to find the right step in time, but with the final destination in sight the music making became vital and passionate.
It was a real ride for home — the old stones dragged like the corpse of an old woolly mammoth home to the cooking pot — a triumph of endeavour, purpose and delivery.
Lots to enjoy in such an intelligently led and delivered account.
Saturday 26, 20:33:28
Championship Division:
5. De Waldsang (Rieks van der Velde)
The indefatigable MD returned for his third performance of the weekend, and once again we were treated to a reading of innate understanding — narrative led but very individually characterised.
There was an elemental feel to it all — right from the opening; formless but of time and place that exposed the rocks to be transported by the lugubrious tubas. There was no quarter given with the playing in these opening sections — each a stanchion point of a longer journey.
Big sounds for big boulders, shapeless now but later hewn and moulded by the MD as they travelled the uneven ground, the ensemble doing the heavy lifting with the little motifs and lead lines heard above. The perc was dominant throughout — either good or bad depending on tastes in the box.
The 'last effort' saw the music fall into the idyll Wiltshire heart via that touch of old Ronald Binge, before the flugel set out a lovely lyrical lead. It was a bit 'disneyfied' in places with its tinkly accompaniment, but there was a confidence about it all.
A slightly frenetic processional start recovered its poise and dark tread the longer it went on and with the ultimate destination in sight the music changed character into optimistic celebration.
That was the sign to unleash the dynamics and although it was strained and untidy, by heck it was vibrant and full of verve — led by brilliant soprano. They planted the big old stones for eternity in the final few bars like navvies chucking gate posts into the ground.
Bravo!
Saturday 26, 19:59:12
Championship Division:
4. Provinciale Brassband Groningen (Gerk Huisma)
A boldly delivered account full of honest graft and musical integrity underpinned this well managed account on a persuasive reading of the score by the MD.
A pre-history start of misty, magical sounds promised much and was built on by a solid tuba quartet which led the way into the long old slog from west Wales over deliberately uneven musical ground.
That feel was just right — dirty graft giving the music momentum as the boulders were pushed, cajoled and heaved with brute force across hill and vale — the narrative of the music well portrayed by the ensemble.
The final effort landed in a bit of a Ronald Binge 'Sailing By' moment before the flugel took the lyrical lead to expose the heart of the score. It was still a bit artisan, but better safe than sorry with bravura leads by euph and cornet that built to a fine climax topped by sweet sop. Stone age Wiltshire sounded idyllic.
Getting the right pace to the processional tread caused problems to start on the troms, but it gained a confident momentum thereafter with the final destination in sight.
The last few yards were of the celebratory kind — energised and full of vitality as the immense task of tackling this huge bluestone slab of a piece was completed with a rousing old flourish.
Saturday 26, 19:26:55
Championship Division:
3. Brass Band Schoonhoven (Paul Holland)
A stamp of title winning authority here from the former champion that benefited hugely from a comprehensively insightful reading of the score from the MD.
The mysterious opening left nothing to dynamic chance — played purposefully rather than with any pre-history exoticism or camouflage, although it still captured the atmosphere.
The narrative elements of the score were also literally portrayed — the hard, uneven slog of carrying the bluestone slabs over uneven ground with muscular endeavour.
That effort was rewarded by the time we got to the lyrical heart of the work — led by a fine flugel and complemented by the solo euph and cornet, and then by tip top sop. It was classy, shaped and moulded tenderly by the MD.
The processional had a defined, dark tread — led fleetingly by the troms but soon gaining extra energy and definition in internal lines and balance as the stones headed to their new resting place.
Plenty of excitement, but it was organically generated not through artifice, the drive pushing those huge chunks of rock forward before being planted deep and lasting into the ground.
High quality stuff that in any company.
Saturday 26, 18:54:42
Championship Division:
2. Soli Brass (Anne van den Berg)
The second performance packed with shoulder to the pre-history wheel and grafting slog to mix with the magical and the mysterious before the band finally found its way to erect the majestic monuments on Salisbury Plain.
Some interesting sounds from the mysterious marshy lands of ancient Wales to open — some working better than others, and the euph camouflage work in the tuba quartet nearly came off.
At times the balance seemed wayward as the band progressed over the obstacles of the narrative score (although this is a notoriously difficult acoustic to play in on the blockbuster pieces) with the perc dominating to cover the internal transparency. The sense of progression though was defined.
The emotional core, with its standing flugel led sense of optimism flowed with a lovely lyrical blend and balance through to its warm climax although there were some obvious balance fixes in some lines.
The processional build started unevenly though, a touch frantic instead of poised, although it then built to an appropriately 'exciting' close, driven forcefully and triumphantly as the stones were hauled into their eventual place for eternity.
