The five test pieces to be played at the 2015 Butlins Mineworkers Championship were announced on the weekend at Skegness.

Bold move

The contest organisers have taken the bold move of using five brand new works, with four originals and one arrangement set to test the competing bands.

Facets of the Heart

A great deal of interest has already surrounded the news that composer Tom Davoren has been commissioned to write the Championship Section work, entitled, ‘Facets of the Heat’.

It is inspired by the words of the poem ‘Love, What is Love?’ by Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson — perhaps more famously known as the author of classic Victorian novels such as ‘Kidnapped’, ‘Treasure Island’ and ‘The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde’.

Primal emotion

Tom told 4BR: "I’m delighted to have been asked to compose the Championship Section set test for 2015. The piece is already in the final stages of preparation and I hope the bands will enjoy performing it, and the audience enjoy hearing it."

He added: "’Facets of the Heart’ is a musical study of this, man’s most primal emotion. Though not programmatic in the strictest sense of the definition, each of the work’s continuous sections does seek to capture the essence, in music, of a particular emotional facet of love as described by Stevenson."

Love — what is love? A great and aching heart;
Wrung hands, and silence; and a long despair.
Life — what is life? Upon a moorland bare.
To see love coming and see love depart.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 — 1894)

It is understood that the sheet music will be available for bands this summer. Any updates and a link to purchase band sets will be posted at www.tomdavoren.co.uk

each of the work’s continuous sections does seek to capture the essence, in music, of a particular emotional facet of love as described by StevensonTom Davoren

Section tests

Meanwhile, the First Section contenders will have to wait a little longer for ‘Three English Folk Songs’, which is currently awaiting copyright, whilst the Second Section bands will get to play a new work from the pen of well known conductor and composer David Holling entitled, ‘Phoenix’.

David Holling is also delighted that his composition has been chosen. “Phoenix is a testing work for the Second Section, but it’s one that I think the players, conductors and audience will enjoy.

It’s programmatic — inspired by the mythical life cycle of the Phoenix, and it written in a very tonal musical language. It does ask technical questions of both conductors and players but most of all it should reward good musicality.”

Intriguing

The most intriguing composition though is a new brass band arrangement by Nigel Hall of the light orchestral work from 1920 by Percy Fletcher, the man who gave the banding world the classic test pieces ‘Labour & Love’ in 1913 and ‘Epic Symphony’ in 1926.

Fourth Section bands will get to play a new work from composer Chris North entitled, ‘Five French Masters’, which is inspired by famous impressionists paintings such as ‘Boulevard Montmartre’ by Pissarro; ‘Lac d'Annecy’ by Cézanne; ‘La Cathédrale de Rouen’ by Monet; ‘Les Parapluies’ by Renoir, and ‘Au Moulin Rouge’ by Toulouse-Lautrec.

2015 Test Pieces:

Championship Section: Facets of the Heart (Tom Davoren)
First Section: Three English Folk Songs (Copyright pending)
Second Section: Phoenix (David Holling)
Third Section: Woodland Pictures (Percy Fletcher arr. Nigel Hall)
Fourth Section: Five French Masters (Chris North)