The 39th Swiss National Championships will take place this weekend, with 4BR making the trip to Montreux to cover the main battle for the elite title and the all important invitation to represent the country at the 2014 European Championships in Perth.
Trip
The event takes places at the magnificent Montreux Convention Centre — host venue of the highly successful 2011 European Championships, with 4BR there to report on the action as it unfolds on the banks of Lake Geneva.
56 bands will battle for the five national titles on offer with 11 of the best locking horns over two days in the Championship Section to be crowned Swiss National Champion and gain that European invitation to Scotland next May.
Aperitif
Due to the increase in numbers the traditional Gala Concert will now take place on the Sunday morning as a musical aperitif to the own choice performances from the elite bands in the afternoon.
As a spokesperson told 4BR: "The Swiss Brass Band Association has been compelled to take this innovative approach in order to make sure that every band has the opportunity to perform in the very best contest conditions."
Masquerade
The Championship Section bands will now perform their set work, ‘Masquerade’ by Philip Wilby on Saturday afternoon, with the climax of the contest taking place 24 hours later.
Whilst the elite bands tackle Wilby’s Shakespearian inspired leviathan, the First Section contenders will be faced by Robert Redhead’s biblically inspired ‘Isaiah 40’.
New Waespi work
Swiss composer Oliver Waespi’s new composition, ‘Traversada’ will test the Second Section rivals, whilst ‘Toccata Festiva’ by Jan Van Der Roost is the set work in the Third. The new Fourth Section champion will have to show that they are faster, higher and stronger than their rivals on Philip Harper’s enjoyable ‘Olympus’.
Judges
Plenty of great music making to enjoy then for the adjudication team of Ian Bousfield, Richard Evans, Alan Fernie, Michael Fowles, Russell Gray, Hans Gansch, Roger Webster, Mark Wilkinson and Thomas Wyss.
The weekend starts on Saturday at 10.00am, with the Fourth Section in the Miles Davis Hall, followed by the Second Section.
The main auditorium Stravinski Hall will host the First Section from 11.00am, with the Championship Section set work discipline commencing at 6.30pm.
Cosa Nostra
Later that night everyone will be welcome to attend the ‘Brass Night’ party held at the Convention Centre where music will be provided by the Cosa Nostra Jazz Band, before the announcement of the First, Second and Fourth Sections at 10.30pm.
On Sunday, the Austrian Brass Ensemble PRO BRASS will provide the main entertainment at the Gala Concert at 10.00am, before leaving the stage to the Third Section bands at 11.35am.
The climax of the whole weekend comes at 2.30pm, with the own choice selections of the Championship bands.
Tickets for the event can be purchased from: http://www.sbbv.ch
The Swiss Brass Band Association has been compelled to take this innovative approach in order to make sure that every band has the opportunity to perform in the very best contest conditionsOrganisers
Championship Section:
Brass Band Berner Oberland (Corsin Tuor)
Brass Band Bürgermusik Luzern (Michael Bach)
Brass Band Fribourg A (Frédéric Théodoloz)
Brass Band Treize Etoiles (James Gourlay)
Constellation Brass Band (Yvan Lagger)
EC Jurassien A (Blaise Héritier)
EC Mélodia (Stéphane Duboux)
EC Valaisan (François Roh)
MGRR Brass Band (Rino Chiappori)
Oberaargauer Brass Band A (Armin Bachmann)
Valaisia Brass Band (Arsène Duc)
First Section:
AEW Brass Band Fricktal (Roland Fröscher)
Brass Band Eglisau (Andreas Buri)
Brass Band Emmental (Heinz Heiniger)
Brass Band Feldmusik Knutwil (Gian Stecher)
Brass Band Fribourg B (Pascal Eicher)
Brass Band Harmonie Neuenkirch (Christoph Bangerter)
Brass Band Imperial Lenzburg A (Rafael Camartin)
Brass Band Kirchenmusik Flühli (Armin Renggli)
Brass Band MG Reiden (Reto Näf)
Brass Band Rickenbach (Corsin Tuor)
Brass Band Seetal (Pirmin Hodel)
Brass Band Sursilvana (Roman Caprez)
Brass Band Treize Etoiles B (Géo-Pierre Moren)
EC AMBITUS (François Roh)
EC Euphonia (Michael Bach)
Liberty Brass Band Ostschweiz (Andreas Koller)
Oberwalliser Brass Band A (David Lochmatter)
Regional Brass Band Bern (Dani Haus)
Second Section:
BML Talents (Patrick Ottiger)
Brass Band 43 (Jacques Rossier)
Brass Band Berner Oberland Junior (Jan Müller)
Brass Band Cazis (Enrico Calzaferri)
Brass Band Feldmusik Escholzmatt (Jonathan Kowszun)
Brass Band Harmonie Rickenbach (Lukas Scherrer)
Brass Band Junior Valaisan (Maurice Donnet-Monay)
Brass Band Rapperswil-Wierezwil (Sascha Hinni)
Brass Band Rhodan (Romain Vergères)
Brass Band Solothurn (Martin Bütikofer)
EC Jurassien B (Florian Lab)
EC Mélodia Junior (Vincent Maurer)
Liberty Brass Band Junior (Christoph Luchsinger)
MG Lauduna Lalden (Tobias Salzgeber)
MV Brass Band Henggart (Christian Bachmann)
Oberaargauer Brass Band B (Hans Burkhalter)
RosAlp Brass Band (David Bonvin)
Third Section:
Brass Band Abinchova (Gian Walker)
Brass Band Frutigen (Adrian Germann)
Brass Band Gürbetal (Urs Stähli)
Brass Band Imperial Lenzburg B (Benjamin Groth)
Brass Band Zürich (Werner Kubli)
Jugend Brass Band Michelsamt (Lukas Scherrer)
Musik Frohsinn Oberburg (Jan Müller)
Oberwalliser Brass Band Junior (David Lochmatter)
Fourth Section:
Entlebucher Jugend Brass Band (Mario Schubiger)
Jugend Brass Band Neuenkirch (Christoph Bangerter)
Elite de Cressier FR (Martin Künzi)
