After a long wait to take to the stage, Northop's opening is a touch nervy with solo cornet and euphonium in Cadenza 1 not quite gelling as they should. It might take the band a little while to regain its composure here.
The Vivace is better but clips and errors start to creep in once again and this feels a little nervy… or tired perhaps.
The Precipitato is again better… the faster music feels so much more convincing than the slow. Cadenzas 2 and 3 are again better and this has settled into more of a groove.
The cornet dovetailing in the Presto doesn't quite come off…we are missing the rhythmic cohesion of the best here today… but the Allegro Pesante is given due drama and is effectively underpinned with lower band sonorities.
The Adagio is not allowed to languish and is all the more convincing for it, but it is a tired sounding band that makes its way toward the closing flourish.
A strong opening from GUS with a huge, powerful band sound and and well delivered cadenzas on cornet and euphonium. Other than the slightest clip at the top, this was classy indeed.
The Vivace is laced with intent and purpose and with an urgency that has been absent from a good many performances today. There are some deft little inflections of colour and touches from cornet and soprano amongst others, and it drives on through the Precipitato and a Furioso bristling with detail, allied with exceptional use of the dynamics.
The clarity of detail achieved through the textures as a result is admirable indeed.
Both cadenzas 2 and 3 impress in their security, and again, there is a feeling of musical stature to this with the odd clips being kept to a minimum. The Presto flies along with clarity and rhythmic cohesion, whilst building a momentum that is eventually brought to a crushing halt as we head into the transition to the Allegro Pesante which us imbued with both mystery and foreboding.
The Allegro Pesante itself is grimly threatening in its tread… a darkly painted tale of rivalry that is played out before us in dramatic fashion.
The Adagio glows… beautiful playing from solo horn and baritone, and as it progresses it has both fluidity and tangible emotion.
The climax is fabulous and the close one of majestic apotheosis. A powerfully and emotionally wrought reading from GUS that really tugged at the heart.
After a bracing opening, Fishburn's initial cadenzas are admirably and cleanly despatched by solo cornet and euphonium. That really was nicely done. Chapeau!
The Vivace and the Precipitato trip along well… just the occasional loss of clarity in the cornets but overall, this has been a convincing early showing.
Cadenza 2 is a little untidy in comparison and this doesn't quite gel. For a while the band is unsettled but regains its composure and Cadenza 3 is carried off well by the euphoniums.
The Allegro Pesante lacks something of the intensity that has driven the most convincing accounts of this passage today, whilst the players are clearly tiring as mistakes start to creep in with increasing regularity through the latter stages.
The Adagio is in danger of becoming a dirge and would sound so much more convincing if had a greater degree of movement and fluidity. The band has held something back though for a final flourish that is as bracing as its opening.
One that started well from Fishburn but lost its way in the latter stages.
An impressive opening statement from Whitburn… big yet rounded and controlled.
Cadenza 1 doesn't quite come off and as the Vivace and Precipitato fly along there are also noticeable clips that occasionally fly out of the cornet section. Yet there remains something entirely convincing about the approach that draws us into the performance… a deep seated drama that exudes emotion.
Whitburn is only the second band of the day to use a sub-conductor in Cadenza 2 and it works well, prefacing Cadenza 3 that sees the euphonium pair deliver in style.
The Presto is brilliantly agile and nimble, leading to an Allegro Pesante that hits between the eyes… this is gritty, venomous stuff yet still there is the odd splash heard through the textures.
The Adagio flows with elegance, and this is both graceful and laced with tangible emotion. The building of the tension to the close is gripping in its intensity and is never allowed to stagnate or become bogged down to a majestic, triumphant closing flourish.
A performance of musical stature, but the players will know that it was not without mistakes.
Milnrow grinds out the dissonances of the opening bars with both breadth and dramatic intent.
Cadenza 1 is not entirely conformable between cornet and euphonium, but the Furioso makes an immediate impact and the Precipitato is playful, if a shade on the heavy side dynamically on occasions.
But what this has is a sense of urgency… of a propelling onward motion that drives the music forward. Ensemble is generally tight and accurate with the excitement levels placed at the forefront in a way that is both engaging and compelling.
Cadenza 2 is not entirely 'clean', but euphoniums excel in Cadenza 3 and this is well done indeed.
The Presto flies along in almost demonic fashion… a headlong race that continues to garner energy and excitement until the deftly handled transition into the Allegro Pesante heralds an approach that sits impressively well with the grim conflict of Prokofiev's original orchestral conception.
This is proving to be an admirably well thought out account from Chris Binns and Milnrow.
The Adagio is allowed to build organically and whilst not blemish and error free there has been so much in Milnrow's performance that has engaged musically.
Camborne opts for the full-on force approach to the opening bars, and boy, does this hit between the eyes! It's big boned and explosively powerful yet subsides to an opening Cadenza 1 that is initially well delivered bar a couple of slips.
The Vivace is what the marking says it should be… vivacious, exciting and this has undeniable presence. Occasionally it spills over and gets a touch untidy in the cornet section, but again it is an approach that takes no prisoners and will find favour with some for its sheer energy.
Cadenza 2 does not see the players leave the stage and mutes are used as an alternative, but it's generally secure and solo euphonium excels in Cadenza 3 to follow.
The Allegro Pesante again threatens to overspill at times but it's visceral stuff. The final Adagio gets a little bogged down in its approach to the final Lento but Camborne has delivered an account that should find its place in the middle of the results table today.
A resounding opening from Ratby, big and bold but always controlled.
Cadenza 1 is well shaped and delivered with style and security and as the Vivace leaps off the page, the playing typifies what Ratby do so well. It's a thoughtfully considered approach that places emphasis on ensemble and detail, yet there are also some notable slips that fly out of the textures here and there.
Cadenza 2 is delivered relatively unscathed, as is Cadenza 3 until euphoniums struggle at the lofty peak of the phrase. All credit goes to solo euphonium here however — not many have given us a true pp today as was the case here.
The Allegro Pesante is bang on the right tempo and has an admirable sense of musical purpose, although again there are the odd slips that unsettle some of the good work.
The Adagio moves along well and as such avoids the sense of the turgid that has undermined some performances today, before also delivering a majestic closing statement that caps a competent and musically thoughtful account.
There is a grimly dissonant breadth to Riverside's opening bars, but also darkness and depth of sonority that makes an immediate impression.
With solo cornet seated next to solo euphonium Cadenza 1 is despatched with relative security, although basses do not quite settle intonation wise in the bars leading into the Furioso.
There are also a handful of clips that permeate the textures of the Furioso, yet this also has a certain presence and atmosphere that sits well with the stylistic character of the music and finds the many contrasts embedded in the score with insight.
For Cadenza 2 David Morton opts to place his soloists at the back of the band. Whilst not quite offstage the effect is creditable, with confident, secure entries and dynamics that are true to the marking of the score.
The Allegro Pesante is highly effective in its delivery, the menacing tread grimly prefacing darkly toned trombones and although there are a couple of wayward moments, there is a sense of foreboding about this that hits the musical mark.
David Morton emphasise the breadth of the phrases in the final Adagio, a strategy that draws playing of emotional warmth from his players… it is not always pristine but exudes pathos in spades and prefaces a majestic closing statement.
A thoughtfully and intelligently constructed account from Riverside.
May 21 • We are a friendly, welcoming 4th section band based in Tameside, Greater Manchester. Following our 4th place at the North West regionals, we are looking for a Bb and Eb Bass player (position negotiable). We rehearse Tuesday & Thursday evenings in Mossley.
May 21 • We are a friendly, welcoming 4th section band based in Tameside, Greater Manchester. Following our 4th place at the North West regionals, we are looking for SOLO CORNET players (position negotiable). We rehearse Tuesday and Thursday evenings in Mossley.
