No one enjoyed the heat of battle at the All England Masters International Championship on the weekend more than the players of Tredegar – both in and out of the Lighthouse Theatre in Kettering.

Blazing

As they lay on the grass under a blazing sun sipping their celebratory soft drinks, MD Ian Porthouse took time to offer his own congratulations to each of them, knowing full well that they had claimed the £4,000 first prize in a way that brokered little argument from any of the 19 rival bands on an equally hot contest stage.

It was the first time since 2000 that a band had retained the Masters title, so it was little wonder the conductor took the opportunity in singling his relaxing players out before they returned to the sauna like stage to provide the first half entertainment of the Masters Gala Concert.

Impressive

Second place went to the impressive Belgians of Brass Band Buizingen under the baton of Luc Vertommen, whilst Marsden Silver confirmed their growing top class credentials by claiming a podium finish for the second year in a row under Glyn Williams.

Fourth place went to a solid Carlton Main Frickley conducted by Michael Fowles, followed by former European champions Brass Band Willebroek under Frans Violet in fifth and a delighted Hammonds Saltaire directed by Morgan Griffiths in sixth.

Worked hard

"We worked hard for this, so they can enjoy a bit of well earned relaxation," Ian Porthouse told 4BR. "The band showed its quality today and did everything I could have asked for. They deserve the plaudits. It was a great all round performance, so it’s only right and proper each of them knows it from me too."

Ian added that he was especially pleased that solo trombone player Steve Turton had become the first recipient of the Maxwell Thornton award as the ‘Best Trombone’, whilst he also singled out the contribution of principal cornet Dewi Griffiths, new soprano Ian Roberts and solo horn Lowenna Taylor.

Great player

"Steve’s been a great player for the band over the years even though he’s something of a super-sub for us, whilst Dewi is one the very best principal cornets I have ever worked with. Ian’s contribution on his debut showed his class, whilst Lowenna has been superb stepping up to cover for Chris Davies since his illness."

Formidable

Tredegar’s formidable performance of John Ireland’s ‘Comedy’ overture saw them crowned as an outstanding winner – as the three judges, David Read MBE, Derek Broadbent and Stephen Roberts confirmed in their written remarks.

‘A magnificent performance’ penned David: ‘Elegance, poise, style, charm – all there’. ‘A magnificent show,’ Derek added. ‘The best was saved for last. Outstanding – a clear winner’, Stephen emphasised at the bottom of his sheet.

Class apart

Later the trio added that they felt the Welsh band were, ‘a class apart’ in taking the title as the last band to play on what was an engaging day of varied contest performances.

"No hesitation is saying that it was a class apart," David told 4BR. "It was wonderful playing from start to finish."

Fine runner-up

David also confirmed that the judges had no hesitation with Buizingen either: "They were some way behind Tredegar, but a margin ahead of the rest," he added.

Their MD Luc Vertommen was equally as happy as Ian Porthouse with his band’s performance.

"We are growing in confidence, especially as we have brought in so many new players this year," he said. "To come second to Tredegar shows that we are improving all the time. I’m delighted with the result."

Equally happy was principal cornet player Harmen Vanhoorne who claimed the 4Barsrest ‘Best Soloist’ award. "It’s great to win the 4BR award, but more so for the band. We are young and ambitious, and want to get better at each contest we attend, so this is a brilliant result for us."

Marsden delight

The judges also confirmed that they had more of a problem sorting out the remaining bands in the top six.

"We had to go back over our notes a few times to separate four good performances out," David added.

That meant Marsden’s second successive podium finish at the Masters was also a cause for quiet delight for MD Glyn Williams. "I knew we could do a good show on ‘Comedy’, and we worked hard at the dynamic contrasts and balances.

We’ve been playing well this year, so get the reward we deserved in coming third is satisfying. We can now build on this for the forthcoming Whit Friday contests and the rest of the year."

Varied standard

Behind the remaining top six finishers of Carlton Main, Willebroek and Hammonds Saltaire, the judges told 4BR that the standard did vary, disappointingly so at times, with many MDs failing to appreciate the need to show contrast and balance, as well as keeping the music flowing.

"Some were very pedestrian, and others just didn’t appreciate the style required to play music that seemed unfamiliar to them," David added.

Contrasting Londoners

Two contrasting interpretations from the London duo of Zone One and Aveley & Newham claimed seventh and eighth, whilst a solid performance from NASUWT Riverside and a slightly misfiring Virtuosi GUS filled the top ten places.

A combination of some idiosyncratic interpretations, clumsy ensemble work and insecure solo lines accounted for the remaining contenders, with fancied bands such as Redbridge and British Open qualifiers Beaumaris, failing to catch the ear in the box.

Hot weather

With a combination of the hot weather and contest tickets costing £17.00, the atmosphere in the Lighthouse Theatre remained fairly subdued throughout the day, although numbers were up on last year.

There was however a welcome increase in listeners for the Gala Concert, where there was a wonderful reception for the presentation of the All England Masters Dedicated Service Award to the ISB’s outstanding euphonium player Derick Kane.

A full retrospective on the 2012 All England Masters International Championship will appear on 4BR on Tuesday.

No hesitation is saying that it was a class apart. It was wonderful playing from start to finishDavid Read MBE

Full results:

Additional comments and thoughts on our live coverage page:
www.4barsrest.com/live/2012AllEnglandMastersInternational/

Sunday 27th May
Test Piece: 'Comedy' — John Ireland
Adjudicators: David Read MBE, Derek Broadbent, Stephen Roberts

1. Tredegar (Ian Porthouse)
2. Brass Band Buizingen (Luc Vertommen)
3. Marsden Silver (Glyn Williams)
4. Carlton Main Frickley Colliery (Michael Fowles)
5. Brass Band Willebroek (Frans Violet)
6. Hammonds Saltaire (Morgan Griffiths)
7. Zone One (Richard Ward)
8. Aveley & Newham (Nigel Taken)
9. NASUWT Riverside (David Roberts)
10. Virtuosi GUS (John Berryman)
11. Aldbourne (David Johnson)
12. Friary Guildford (Chris King)
13. Beaumaris (Gwyn Evans)
14. Redbridge Brass (Jeremy Wise)
15. Skelmanthorpe Band (John Roberts)
16. EYMS (Alan Morrison)
17. Newstead Brass (Duncan Beckley)
18. Kortrijk Brass Band (Lieven Maertens)
19. Sovereign Brass (David Maplestone)
20. Staines Brass (Melvin White)

4BR Instrumental Award: Harmen Vanhoorne (Cornet) — Brass Band Buizingen
Maxwell Thornton Award for Best Trombone: Steve Turton (Tredegar)
Stanley Boddington Memorial Trophy: Ian Porthouse (Tredegar)
Robert Howard Memorial Trophy: Dewi Griffiths (Tredegar)