Championship Section

Sunday 22nd January 2012
Venue: Centre Stage, Butlins Skyline Resort
Commence: 9.30am

Adjudicators: Dr Roger Webster & Peter Roberts

Comments by Iwan Fox

4BR Prediction:

A long and varied day both in terms of the music performed and the quality of the performances themselves.

Nothing really innovative in the approaches, but plenty of well thought out programmes aimed with this particuloar audience in mind.

Flowers had that extra touch of quality today, just ahead of audience favourites Woodfalls. Desford put in a decent one, but oin vain you suspect, then a good one from EYMS, a solid GUS and a varied Carlton Main. Then come the rest.

4BR Entertainment Prediction

1. Flowers
2. Woodfalls
3. Desford
4. EYMS
5. Virtuosi GUS
6. Carlton Main
7. Redbridge
8. Thoresby
9. Tongwynlais Temperance
10. Jaguar Land Rover
11. Marsden
12. Wingates

Overall Prediction:

We have added up both day's 4BR prediction scores and go for Flowers to retain their title, with GUS holding onto second place despite not quite hitting top form today. Desford may just claim a podium spot, but they will be hard pushed by Carlton Main, Woodfalls and Redbridge.

1. Flowers
2. Virtuosi GUS
3. Desford
4. Carlton Main
5. Woodfalls
6. Redbridge
7. Thoresby
8. EYMS
9. Jaguar Land Rover
10. Tongwynlais Temperance
11. Marsden Sliver
12. Wingates

12. Carlton Main Frickley Colliery (Phillip McCann)

Knut the Little
Shenandoah (Cornet soloist: Kirsty Abbott)
Malambo from Estancia
Make our Garden Grow (Cornet & Euph soloists: Kirsty Abbott & Toni Durrant)
A Manchester Tale

A very different opener — a brave Nordic choice from the MD that is full of pulsating rhythm and drive. It's followed by a sublime bit of cornet work in the solo feature but the ensemble accompaniment isn't in the same league.

Another neat twist with the Argentinian Malambo which is colourful, precise and throbbing, and another detour with the Candide feature with euph and cornet.

The huge finale is well played but just sounds tired to close and gets scrappy.

Overall: An intersting one from the MD and his band — lots of varied music making. Not always 100% in exection though and little errors especially in the ensemble may cost against them.

11. Thoresby Colliery (Ian Porthouse)

Blackbird Special
Comedian's Galop
Someone Cares (Cornet soloist: Claire Taylor)
Nightingale Dances
Credo

A second helping of Blackbird doesn't quite hang together without the MD at the helm, but has a spicey backbeat that drives it on straight into a revved up Galop. This is played with real verve, but a few noticeable clips.

Cornet solo is full of warmth and lyrical phrasing — a little gem of solo quality, although the ensemble dances to follow struggled at times and never quite thrilled as it could.

The well chosen finisher is played with ensemble warmth and cultured tonality — a well controlled climax to a carefully thought out programme.

Overall: A little uneven in places, but an interesting and engagaing programme set that should hold its own and may get an overall top six finish as a result.

10. Desford Colliery (Russell Gray)

Brooklyn (Trom/euph soloists: Tom Berry & Ivan Hutchinson)
Bring back that Leroy Brown
Finale 1st Strauss Horn Concerto (Horn soloist: William Rushworth)
Cantalina
Champagne Tango
Roman Festivals

The powerhouse opener really hits you between the eyes — especially with a proper screaming trumpeter and bobbler trombone. This more like a Desford on form.

The Freddie Mercury follower is very pacy, but is so neatly played, whilst Mr Rushworth shows that he is the best horn player of today with a cracking rendition of the Strauss.

The tango is light and bubbly — as befits the name, whilst the finale is an oldie but so well delivered. There is a strong band playing right to the end.

Overall: A different Desford today. Markedly better in all departments. Just the finisher lost focus, but it was high class playing throughout.

9. Flowers (Paul Holland)

Blackbird Special
Fear Not (Cornet soloist: Andrew Smith)
Romanian Fire Dance
A Seal Lullaby
A Manchester Tale

The popular old Dirty Dozen opener is well choreographed and delivered, although it may just have needed a tad more grubby verve. No praise high enough for the cornet solo though — lovely, lyrical playing — wonderful.

The Romanian pyrotechnics are lit and go with a bang — classy ensemble playing this, and is followed by a highlight of the day with the atmospheric lullaby, played with well chosen images, warmth and cultured phrasing.

The Blitz recall is also enhanced by images, lighting effects and solid ensemble playing to round off a programme of potential contest winning effect.

Overall: A very solid, well chosen programme that was played with confidence and style. Another performance of real merit.

8. Tongwynlais Temperance (Philip Harper)

Blue Sleeve Step
The Witch of Westmorland
Clap
Under the Boardwalk (Flugel soloist: David James)
Finale from Borodin's 2nd Symphony

MD leads the way in his bright yellow shirt and horn in an opening number that has a suave feel in delivery. The contrast is extreme — and a choice that works so well — even if it only receives muted applause.

More innovative thinking with the McGhee work which is certainly left field — a brave choice that makes for interesting musical interest and is well played.

The flugel feature is top notch playing — so well delivered both musically and visually by the band. The Borodin is a bit of an oddity though — not one that resonates with the majority of listeners as it never quite comes to life.

Overall: Certainly an innovative approach and an interesting one too. Not everything came off and the weakish finisher may just cost. Always musically engaging though.

7. Wingates (Andrew Berryman)

Cute
Nyman Fanfare
Festive Overture
Flamenco (Trumpet soloist: Andy MacDonald)
Vitae Lux
Could it be Magic

The cool jazz opener is different and a welcome change today despite the odd clips, whilst the Nyman Fanfare is certainly more left field stuff — and a nice diversion too.

The long pause link to the Shostokovich pot boiler doesn't quite work though, and the overture itself is a scrappy old affair. Trumpet solo is much the same — a fine soloist not quite on tip top form.

The Norwegian filler is bashed out somewhat with percussion enthusiasm to the fore, but the old Barry Manilow hit brings back memories for those who like that sort of thing — and it does work as a pacy finisher. 'That's All Folks' extra really wasn't needed.

Overall: An interesting approach that was a bit disappointing in execution. Not quite one that fired on all cylinders and may struggle today.

6. Marsden Silver Prize (Glyn Williams)

Innuendo
Molly on the Shore
Hymn to Barossa
Her Favourite Things (Euph soloist: Emily Braverman)
Giants

The Queen opener is a bit scruffy in places, but still managed to pack a punch or two, but the following bit of Percy Grainger arranged by Howard Snell was a great reminder of a genius at work making something work so well for a brass band. Neatly delivered too.

The contrast provided by the Andy Scott work is well played despite the odd clip and fine euph makes the most of a bit of musical nonsense. It's a solo that works well, but you don't know quite why...

The Giants excerpts sounds a little tired though as the stamina wanes. Just didn't quite come off.

Overall: Not quite at their best today. Too many annoying errors and little unforced clips took the gloss off a well constructed programme. May just struggle this afternoon.

5. Woodfalls (Paul Lovatt-Cooper)

When Thunder Calls
All Night Long
When She Loved Me (Flugel Soloist: Chris Lewis)
Cause & Effect (5 percussion soloists)
Fire in the Blood

A PLC opening — and its full of the trademark stamp that audiences love. It makes a real impression — and so did a very slick working of the Lionel Ritchie classic — complete with bass guitar accomp. It's high octance fizz this.

Lovely contrast in the Randy Newman number with top notch soloist and 11 piece accompaniment. PLC gets in the action with the high paced percussion quintet — a real crowd pleaser.

It all leads into the PLC finisher — which gives the audience another dose of flash, bang, wallop. The audience goes bonkers.

Overall: High class entertainment that made the very most of the playing resources at the MDs command. Will surely be a front runner for the entertainment prize and could push the band into the podium places overall.

4. Redbridge Brass (Jeremy Wise)

Let Everything Praise
Blessed Assurance (Flugel/trumpet soloist: Cliff Pask)
Night in Tunisia
Motorcycle Scherzo from Indiana Jones
Go Lovely Rose
Finale from Francesca de Rimini

A Sunday morning service hymn with a bang opens things with a polished flourish, although it just takes the soloist a little time to find the comfort zone in the low opening flugel register, before blossoming into a trumpet ripper.

The Tunisian night is so much better played than Brass in Concert — more free flowing in style with malleable, impressive solo lines.

Indy Wise on his scooter is another BiC reprise — and played very well with the audience enjoying the short handmade film. A lovely contrast in the Whitaker interlude before the Tchaik closer that throbs with excitement and offers something a little different.

Overall: A well thought out programme this. Tweaked from BiC and improved as a result. There was plenty of quality playing on show and a neat sense of presentation too.

3. Virtuosi GUS (John Berryman)

Into the Light
Star Trek
Rusalka's Song to the Moon (Flugel Soloist: Thomas Fountain)
Dance of the Elves
Jupiter

A space theme to start with a bold opener full of big sounds, followed by another step back in time to the original Star Trek theme. Not quite to boldly go perhaps, but well played.

15 year soloist plays with a lovely sense of lyrical line and a crafty appreciation of his limits, whilst Elvish nearly left the building with the bit of quirky and neatly played 'Ketlebyesque' dance music.

Jupiter to close has untidy moments, but the bold sounds and ensemble stamina bring things to a tasteful, if not particularly thrill a minute close.

Overall: A programme that relied on the band's performance strengths. Not particularly innovative, but solid, no nonsense quality playing from start to finish.

2. East Yorkshire Motor Services (Alan Morrison)

Phantasmic
Stabat Mater (Euph soloist: Neil Johnson)
12th Street Rag
Armenian Fire Dance
The Old Rugged Cross

A pacy Disney inspired opener is fuLl of life and doesn't take the mickey — literally, and Neil Johnson is a fine lyrical soloist in the Karl Jenkins feature to follow.

The comedy insert is a crafty choice — familar music, well played and with a great bit of ever diminishing trombone playing from Mark Unsworth. A neat take on an old fav.

The fast and furious bit of Armenian pyrotechnics is polished stuff before we get an added extra with the Old Rugged Cross — a Sunday School fav with a jazzy twist — all with choreography and no MD. Great stuff to close.

Overall: A really well pitched and played set this. Gave the audience just what it wanted — and did it with a a high class polish too.

1.Jaguar Land Rover (Dave Lea)

Heroic Fanfare
Stingray
Who Want's to Live Forever
Carnival Cocktail (Euph soloist: Ian Wright)
Finale from Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 4
Hawaii Five -O

A classy opening fanfare does have that touch of the heroic, and the over 50's enjoyed the return to the underwater world of Stingray.

The Queen ballad is a neat contrast, but needed Freddie at his best to make it work. The euph solo is well played, but is a bit of dated stuff, whilst the finisher is yellowing around the edges these days too, but is delivered with real verve and Russian brio — and great sop!

Book 'em Dano Hawaii Five -O extra doesn't come off though — despite the choreography. No surf up there to close.

Overall: A middle of road selection box — but one that was delivered with a fair amount of polish and solidity. Played to its strengths and to the make up of the audience.